All in the Past
by Ambiguous Cake
Summary: L's past catches up with him when his daughter shows up at his door. WHAT? DAUGHTER? lolz. no one expected much of her, but she's proving to be more useful than anyone could think. how will she and L handle the kira case together? COMPLETE.
1. She still Loves You

**Okay, ****this is a random story I came up with in my head, and couldn't get rid of it. I'm thinking of it being a oneshot, but if people want me to continue, then I will. I'll make it seem like it could end, so if no one likes it, I won't be forced to continue it, okay? Oh, btw for all those ppl that just read the manga, raitolight, took me a while to figure that out.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, w/e I don't own Death Note**

**All in the Past**

L was sitting in his room, staring out the window. He knew, absolutely knew Raito was Kira, but he had no way to prove it. He had never any concrete proof it was him, but everything led right to Raito's feet. The videos he's watched, Ray Penber's death, and his genius. All pointed directly at him. But the most important fact; Raito hated to lose, and L knew that. So why was it so hard to prove him as Kira?

L pondered these things all the time, but try as he might, never found an answer. This troubled him since he always found an answer. All he found was that Raito was a pissed off kid, and he would never admit he was Kira. So far, he had no such luck.

L continued looking out the window as people passed by. Teenage girls gossiping about hot boys at school. Mothers running late to pick up their child. A business man acting high and mighty. A girl walking by herself, looking for her parents. Yet none of them seemed to care that a killer was murdering people as they went on with their day. For some reason, this infuriated L, but he would never say it. He wouldn't tell anyone. This was probably why no one believed him that Raito was Kira. He continued looking outside for a minute or two, studying the people below.

"L, there is someone here to see you," Watari came in. L didn't even move from the window. Not even gave the slightest notice that he heard him.

"And?" Watari looked at him hard, and sighed.

"She knows your name, your _real_ name, L," Watari concluded. L whipped around. How? How does this person, whoever it may be know his real name? He's only told one person other than Watari, and he knows she's dead, he watched her funeral ten years ago, when he was eighteen. The only person he ever came close to what he felt must have been love. Though, he doesn't know. She never lived long enough for him to find out.

Then it came to him. This person could be Kira, but Raito was Kira… no he can't hang on to one possibility. He has to be open to new ideas, however much he favors one.

"Bring her up," the confused detective told Watari. He nodded, though L couldn't see, and went to let the person in. L could hear footsteps behind him as the person came in.

"Hello, 'L,'" the voice rang out in the silence that followed. L concluded some things about the person. First, it was female. Second, she was pretty young, early teens. Lastly, that she was afraid. Afraid of what, L did not know but, it didn't seem like she was Kira, though there was a 1.2 that she was. This, by L's standards, needed some investigating.

"Who are you?" L inquired. He could almost hear her shift uncomfortably behind him.

"I am Kari, your uh…" the girl known as Kari now stated, though she was unable to finish. L's mind raced for what she could be to him. There was only one thing, but it couldn't be possible.

Or could it?

Could something have really happened in his past? Could this girl really be who he thought her to be? She could be, but there was only one way to find out… to face her. L turned in his chair to look at her. Her eyes snapped from the ground to his face and they locked eyes for a moment. They both knew what they had been suspecting was true.

"…daughter," Kari finished her sentence. L looked at her. It was the girl he saw out the window no more than a minute ago. The one that looked like she was a lost child. She wore a backpack filled with essentials more than likely. Kari's outfit was a purple leotard with long sleeves. Over that she wore a black leather (fake) vest, and a knee length black skirt. And black boots. Her raven hair flowed out from her shoulders to her waist. She didn't look like someone searching for her father.

"What makes you think I'm your father?" L said addressing his so-called daughter.

"Well," Kari began taking a deep breath, "this photo for one." Kari took out a photo of L. A photo of L. Two seconds later, she ripped in into many bits and pieces. L stared wide-eyed at her. L didn't need to ask the question, she had a reply waiting. "Never know who could be looking. Any person could have taken that if I didn't do that. But you saw it, didn't you?"

L knew that photo. It was of _her_ and him after all. So, that woman was her mother. The woman that died ten years ago. L cursed himself for not looking into this. He had a nagging feeling love from his past would come back to haunt him. He had been right, like he always had been. Also, L knew that to even find him, this girl must be good. But, L wasn't going to give in yet.

"What does that prove?" L said staring straight into Kari's eyes. She showed no emotion.

"My mother, yes you should know her by now, wrote something for you before she died. However, she was unable to deliver this, so I have selfishly taken it upon myself to deliver it to you. It was her will. She died of a sickness that couldn't be cured, but made a will for you to read. I'm not asking you to feel sympathy, just to read the letter." Kari walked over to him, acting more mature than he thought she could and handed him an envelope. L opened it and took out its contents, the envelope floating down to the floor.

L read the letter. He re-read it. L didn't know what to say. The famous detective at a loss for words? Unheard of. But a man who just found out he had a daughter without words, reasonable. And he knew she wrote this letter. This was unmistakably her handwriting. He'd know it anywhere. But, then how? Or better yet, why didn't she tell him?

Watari, in the background, smiled at what was going on. That person had told him a long time ago what had happened, but made him promise that he would never, under any such circumstance, tell L until she came. Or their daughter.

"L, I am sorry to tell you this after all these years, but what Kari says is true. She told me a long time ago what had happened, but made me promise not to tell you. She never wanted to trouble you. She knew you had your dreams, which is why she broke off with you, as I was told," Watari told the newly made father. L still couldn't believe this was happening. He had the Kira case to figure out, and now this, too?

"L, I'm not expecting you to do anything," Kari began before L jumped to too many conclusions. "You don't need to take care of me. I'm doing fine on my own; I have a job, and a small apartment. I moved away from my relatives that were taking acre of me. I go to school, and get top grades. I just wanted you to have that. Goodbye." Kari turned to walk out of the room. Her hair, he noted, was like shadow of his past walking away from him. Never to come back.

L fought a battle inside. Should he stop her? Should he let her go? For once, the genius had no ideas. No brilliant plans as to what to do. He blamed it on love. The one emotion that no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it seemed to always come back to him. Like it just did. And just as fast as it came, it left.

In L's thinking he had lost his chance. Lost his chance to patch up what might have been something good. Something that he could hold on to and treasure. L wondered if he might regret what he didn't do, but he couldn't go after Kari, his daughter, she was already gone. L resorted to his thinking methods. He started chewing on his nail. Again, for the second time, he had no answer. Every other time, but this time, and this question was one he desperately wanted an answer to.

"Watari, get me some cake," L told his friend who smiled and went on his way, knowing the confused man would need some time. The contents of that letter would forever be etched into his mind.

"Dear, L (if that's what you still want me to call you)

We have a daughter. She will tell you her name because she's always changing it. The last name she had was Momo, after a favorite person of hers on a show she loves. How cute is that? Only 3 years old, and she's so cute. You don't need to look after her, though, she has relatives that will. I just wanted to let you know of her, in case she ever comes to see you. If you ever see her, then that's probably the reason you have this letter, and I just want to let you know, I haven't forgotten you. I still remember your face, your voice, your eyes and the way I love you. Yes, I love you, after all these years. You probably think that's silly, don't you? Never the romantic type, but I guess that'll never change. I hope your love hasn't changed either.

With all the love in the world, Minna."

**I'm sorry, I was crying at the end. Let me know in a review if you want me to continue. I want to continue, but if I don't get some reviews I won't. I'll just choose it as complete and leave it at that. That letter took me a while to get right. ****Minna**** isn't a serious person, so I wanted to show that. Hope y'all love it!**

**C ya l8r!**


	2. What's a Father?

**Wow, it's New Year's Eve, and I'm doing nothing. My older brother is having a huge blow out in the basement, and his friends are all seniors (I'm a frosh) and they scare me. I can hear the music under my feet, what? This has nothing to do with Death Note? I'm in the middle of a Death Note ****fanfic**** right now? Whoops, my bad… ****hehe****. ON WITH IT!**** Oh, yeah, this isn't going to be a sappy fict. Not my style. I can write one sappy chappie at the most. The first chappie and I'm done.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, L wouldn't have died. And neither would Light have, he's not so bad, Kira is. KIRA would be killed with a chicken. Yep.**

**All in the Past **

L sat there as his newly found daughter left his life. Is this really what he wanted? Would he not regret this? He would. L knew he'd regret it later. In a split-second he changed his mind. L sprinted from his chair blowing past Watari as he came to give him his cake.

L wrenched the door open and bolted down the hall to the elevator. He saw her in the elevator, the door was closing, but he needed to get there before it did. L did.

"Kari…" L began grabbing the door before it shut. He looked into it and met his daughter's black eyes in surprise. Kari didn't think he'd come for her. She thought she'd leave and would never meet him again.

"Kari, come back after school sometime, if you want," L said sheepishly, knowing that it was feeble, she might not like him at all, but if there was that chance…if there was the chance she didn't hate him, she needed to know he wanted to see her again. L just had to let her know. Kari smiled at her father gently

"I will, just wait for me okay? Well, not me, for Riku, 'cause she's the one that will have a father," Kari responded as L took his hand away from the elevator. She continued smiling as the doors shut and she went down. Except this time, it wasn't for good. Someday, soon hopefully, she'd come back up that elevator, as Riku, and knock on the door L was heading into now.

"I think you did the right thing," Watari told his friend as he handed him the cake. L took it gratefully and sat down. Riku, eh? So, that's what she'll call the her that has a father. L smiled despite himself at the moment. His daughter, Riku. It was still unbelievable. Yesterday, he knew nothing about her. Nothing at all. Not a name, not an age, not a gender, not a face. But there she was, going down the elevator. L knew she would be coming back, though, her smile told him so. That and his fatherly instincts.

L didn't know what it meant to be a father, he realized eating cake, almost dropping his fork.

"Watari, what is a father supposed to be like?" L asked not really expecting an answer. It was a question he wanted to answer, but couldn't.

"A father? Hm," Watari thought on it, "a father is a person who teaches their child what it means to be alive. They teach their child what right and wrong is, and prepares them to be an adult, but they also let them have their freedom."

L grimaced. He was going to have a hard time being a father. He didn't think he could do any of those things. L had a hard enough time being a detective, but a father at the same time? How did Yagami-san do it? He'd have to ask.

L spent most of the night wondering what it meant to be a father, but came up with nothing. Eventually he gave up and went back to the Kira case. At least _that_, he knew, had an answer. There was definitely a Kira out there, and he would find him/her. L put his personal problems aside and set to work on the case. He had it narrowed down, and he strongly suspected Raito, with no concrete proof.

Morning came with the task force arrival. They set to work, and noticed that a few criminals died. Kira was still on the loose, and they still needed to catch him. The same as yesterday, but not everything was the same, L had a daughter.

L debated on whether or not to tell the others, but soon chose not to. It was just another problem, and L needed to concentrate. No doubt if he said anything, Matsuda would be all over him. That was the last thing he needed.

A knock came at the door. L almost jumped. Almost. He looked over at the clock, 5:15 p.m. He couldn't believe it was that late, but it was. L entrusted Watari to answer and continued scanning his computer screen for Kira info.

"Hi, this is Riku, is L there?" came the voice. L turned to the voice. So soon? He wasn't ready yet! L started biting his thumb. He didn't know how to respond to this. Did she have to come today? Watari knew it was Kari/Riku from her voice and let her in.

"Is it really alright to let this girl in, L?" came Chief Yagami's, voice. L vaguely nodded. Mr. Yagami noticed how nervous L seemed to be and wondered who could possibly be at the door. The rest of the task force seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Hello, L," Riku waved over to him. L was distraught. He didn't know how to respond. Should he wave back, or shouldn't he? He chose to do nothing after thinking it over. (a/n aw, L is so shy! Heehee!)

"Who's this?" Matsuda asked looking over at her. Riku looked around at the other men in the room awkwardly. She knew they could be trusted, but still. She shifted uncomfortably. L noticed this and went over to introduce her. L didn't know how he was going to do this as he moved, but he knew it needed to be done.

"This is," L paused here gathering his thoughts, "my daughter."

Silence prevailed through the room.

The task force was in shocked silence, if you will. They couldn't think, let alone say anything in response. Finally Riku broke the silence.

"N-Nice to meet you," she said slightly bowing showing respect. Riku was smart enough to know that all these people were risking their lives working on the Kira case. So she showed them respect. They muttered back their greetings, still in shock.

"I just found out she was my daughter yesterday, forgive my rudeness," L explained scratching the back of his head awkwardly. The task force nodded, understanding that it was awkward enough without them staring.

Riku sat down, and started munching on a cookie she found on a plate L was going to eat. L watched her eat it. Riku ate it slowly, savoring it. For any normal person, it seemed normal, but it told L a lot. L couldn't put it into words, but it was like she was new to having a father, too, so she wouldn't be mad if he didn't do something right. Like they could learn together. Or at least that's what L hoped it meant, but his guesses were usually on the mark, like this one.

The task force left a while later, but Riku stuck around, she still wanted to talk with her 'father.'

For a while, they just stared at each other, neither making a move, until, Riku spoke up.

"Um, do want me to call you 'father' or 'dad,' or what?" Riku asked shuffling in her seat. She sat much like L did, with her knees hugged to her chest, and it made L laugh a little. For some reason, he didn't notice it before when the rest of the task force was here, but now that he did, it made him laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Riku pouted, thinking he was making fun of her.

"You sit like I do," L pointed out. Riku looked at herself, then at L. She turned red and buried her face in her knees.

"Well, I _am_ your daughter, you know." L got up, without really knowing why and walked over to where Riku sat in a big comfy chair. Riku seemed so small in that chair, like she was going to be sucked into it. Barely knowing what he was doing, he scooped her up and carried her over to where he was sitting. He put her in his lap and cradled her, she was only 13 after all.

Riku didn't know how to respond. She really didn't. All her life, since she found out her father was alive and somewhere, she'd pictured what he'd be like. She'd dreamt of all the scenarios she thought possible. All of those sappy moments when she would her father, but none of them came close to this feeling. Nothing could have prepared her for this happiness. Nothing could have told her what she was feeling right then, being held by her father.

"Dad?" Riku asked aloud. L blinked and looked down at the girl in his arms.

"Yes?" L responded wondering what she could want.

"Dad?"

"Yes? What is it?" L was really curious as to what she could be asking in a situation like this. What she could be thinking because if it was anything like he was thinking, he didn't know why she wasn't screaming with happiness because that's what L wanted to do, but he wouldn't.

"When am I allowed to start dating?" L froze. What did she just ask? Dating?

"Never."

"EEH?!" Riku whined looking at him.

"I just got you back, you're not leaving," L explained. Though he knew someday she would leave him, but until then, she was the most important person to him. "When you do, it's inevitable that it will happen; I will have to judge him, fair?"

"You're not going to go easy on him, are you?"

"No, I won't." Riku sighed as she fell asleep in his arms. There was an extra bedroom L used to store electronics, and it had a bed, so he put Riku in there. He pulled the covers over her and left he room turning off the lights. He was almost out the door when a voice came from the sleeping form on the bed.

"Good night, Dad," Riku called out smiling in the dark. L was surprised, but not unprepared.

"Good night, Riku," L replied as he left the room, looking at the angel he knew was sleeping on the bed. He smiled, he couldn't help himself; she looked so innocent asleep there. His daughter, L didn't think he'd ever get used to it.

**Whew, that was long enough. Yeah, I know it probably sucks, but hey, I just wanted to type it. I really needed to, my head was exploding and if I didn't type it, I'd forget about it. That'd be bad. I hope more people will read and review. I only update if you review, so just take a second and press that button down there. Go ahead, press it, and type something. PLEASE! **

**C ya l8r!**


	3. A New Enemy

**O****kay. ****To clear up a bunch of junk people are confused about…**

**L is 28. **

**He and Minna had Kari/Riku when he was 15-16, making her 13-ish.**

**Kari/Riku was 3 when Minna died. She lived with relatives for a while, and then ****got enough money to go on a quest for her father. She's smart.**

**Disclaimer:**** Hm… nope. I still don't own it. If I owned Death Note, I'd have Raito take the Death Note and burn it the second he got it. Or have myself come in and burn it. That works, too.**

**All in the Past**

Riku woke up the next morning wondering where she was. She wasn't in her apartment, wasn't at her relative's house, so where was she? It took Riku all of a second to remember that A. she had a father and that B. she was in her father's guest room, sleeping. Riku blushed at that fact, but shook it off.

Riku dragged herself from the bed, half aware that she was awake at all. She rubbed her eyes in sleepiness and made her way to where she thought her father would be. Riku was right. He was at the computer, looking at files and reading things she couldn't comprehend due to tiredness.

"Did you sleep well?" L asked, not looking away from the screen. Riku nodded that she had slept well, only to realize he couldn't see her nod her head.

"Mm," came out her response because she was too tired to say anything else. L was going to ignore her, not purposely, when it came across to him that she's probably hungry, she hasn't eaten anything yet. He stopped what he was doing and turned to face her.

"Would you like some breakfast?" L asked of her. This time, he saw her nod. He then began the grueling task of trying to find out what she likes to eat. L pondered in his chair, what he had for breakfast. Not much really. He had breakfast things for _him_, but he doubted it was what she had for breakfast.

"I'll just have some cereal," Riku told him going in search of cereal. L knew that he didn't have cereal, but was too busy thinking of what they _did_ have that _she'd_ like to bother telling her that.

Riku could not find cereal anywhere, and, being awake now, knew that her dad was having trouble finding something for her to eat. She giggled a little and decided that cake was good enough. As long as it wasn't everyday, cake was a fine breakfast food. (a/n, I love eating cake or breakfast, which is usually once in a blue moon, sigh).

Riku sat down on the chair she claimed hers yesterday, a big, comfy, red one, and began to eat. She watched as her father sat facing the screen now, probably still pondering what to feed her. Riku wondered how long he would go until he realized she was eating and decided to find out.

Thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes, five minutes, seven minutes, and…

"Oh, you're eating," L looked over at her. He saw the cake was more than half gone and wondered how long she had been eating, and why she didn't tell him. "Why didn't you tell me you were eating?"

"Ah! I'm sorry; I wanted to know how long you were going to think before you found out on your own. It took you a little over seven minutes," Riku replied taking a bite of her breakfast. L was embarrassed, but no one could tell. He stared blankly for a bit, and then it dawned on him.

"Don't you have school today?" L asked her. Her eyes went wide. L knew that it was a yes. L sighed. Riku pondered that for a moment, before she remembered something.

"Oh, no I don't. I forgot, today they're fumigating it." L looked at her skeptically. "I'm not lying!! We found a nest of mice in my math room, so we have to evacuate the school for today and tomorrow." L believed her, but knew this was too convenient.

"Did you put the mice there?" L asked. He didn't really think she did, but he still thought it was weird. She cocked her head and gave him a quizzical look.

"What makes you say that?" L thought about that for a moment. Why did he say that? It was just natural for him to make assumptions like that. His detective nature took over him. Riku was still staring at him, waiting for an answer.

"Hm, well, you just met your dad, and then you don't have school, it seems to fit." Riku started laughing. She just burst out laughing when he finished. L paused to look at her. Without realizing it, he hadn't been making eye contact, so now when he did; he saw that she'd probably been holding in her laughter for a while. "May I ask what's so funny?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, really sorry dad, but the mice have been there for a while, the kids took care of them without the teachers knowing, so it's just funny that you think we put them there. We didn't put them there; we just never took them out." Riku stopped laughing after a couple seconds, she needed to breathe. She couldn't faint or hyperventilate in front of her newly found dad because that would be bad. L gave a small smile seeing her laugh so much.

"Well, Riku, what are you going to do today, then?" L asked, wondering what she was going to do, he was going to see Raito at college, and he couldn't bring her along. It was way too dangerous to bring Riku near a highly suspected murderer. There was no way it was happening.

"I was thinking of just seeing what my dad does for a living, is that not going to be okay?" Riku asked oh so innocently. She knew very well he was going after Kira, a murderer, but she was confident in herself.

L, on the other hand, did not have confidence enough to bring her near a suspected criminal. He had already told Raito he was L, not Hideki Ryuga, and he knew Raito was watching out for anything, if he was Kira. He was doing everything assuming that Raito was, and bringing Riku along under that assumption is a very bad idea, especially for a father to go through.

"No, you can't come, you'll have to stay here with Watari until I come back," L concluded making his decision final. As much as he loved her, he could not comply with the first wish she asked of him. It was too great. The risk was too great. Risking his own life was fine, but not his daughter's, no way; this was not going to happen.

Riku pouted, defeated. Even though she'd only known him for a little while, she could pick up that once his mind was set, there was nothing that could change it. Nothing at all. How she knew that? Riku was the same way, and she figured out she was much like her father, in many ways. Too much like her father, actually.

L left shortly after that, leaving Riku by herself. Watari stayed with her, though he was busy with something. When Riku asked him, he said he was taking care of things. Riku knew she wasn't going to get any kind of answer from him, and went to watch TV. Well, that's what Watari thought anyway.

L ran into Raito when the last bell rang, signaling the end of school, and they made small talk. Raito asked how the investigation was going, not asking any specific details. L told him nothing in particular, that it was going along. Everything was fine, for a while until Raito made a comment.

"You're lucky not having any relatives; Sayu is such a pain sometimes," Raito commented about his little sister. Typical teenage thing to say. To L however, it made him think. He never met with any of his relatives, for he grew up at the Whammy House, and had been there since he was young. He didn't remember if he had a father, or brother or sister. Not even his mother. He realized that Riku was his first real relative that he knew.

"Ah, Raito, you are wrong there, I do have a relative," L replied grinning. Let him chew on that, L thought. Raito looked at him. This was news, he didn't expect him to have relatives, but he knew that L must have. If not siblings, then at least a mother or father, but he said a relative. Meaning one relative. One relative could be a mother or father, unless they're dead. Raito got curious, but didn't say anything. That would be nosy and would probably raise his suspicion of being Kira in some way. L has some crazy schemes to get Raito to say or do something Kira-like.

Since his classes were over for the day, Raito decided to head home. Raito said goodbye to L, and went on his way. L waved goodbye, and started going home as well. He really wanted to see Riku.

"Find out anything about L, Raito," Ryuk teased, knowing that he didn't. Raito knew he was being mocked, but then again, he did learn something.

"Actually, I did learn something, L only has one relative." Ryuk was puzzled. What did that mean? The Shinigami couldn't tell.

"And what does that mean?" Ryuk asked the teen, not knowing what he would get in return.

"Tagged along with the smile he had, it means he has a good relationship with that person," Raito continued. Ryuk was interested in this logic. He didn't know what Raito could conclude from this. His explanation was cut short when Raito had taken sudden interest in a girl playing with a toy airplane.

She had red hair, vibrant, fiery red hair, and was wearing a sundress. She looked to be around twelve, maybe thirteen or eleven, Raito wasn't sure. He could sense it, though. The feeling he got when he knew someone was dying, although Raito wasn't the killer. He saw it coming, though.

The airplane flew across the street to Raito, but it landed a few feet away from him. The rest of the scene played slow motion in his mind. The girl ran to the street to get the airplane as a car was coming down the road. The girl's eyes were on the airplane, and the driver's on the person next to them. Raito knew what would come next. His sense of justice got the better of his judgment. Something that doesn't happen very often.

Ryuk watched as Raito jumped to the road and grabbed the girl and saved her from the car, barely. Ryuk chuckled. 'He goes and kills murderers and saves little girls from rushing cars, bet he thinks he's a big hero,' Ryuk thought continuing his chuckle.

The car continued, not knowing it almost ran over a little girl. The little girl stared up at the teen that saved her. A big smile played across her face. Raito didn't know why she was smiling, she was nearly killed! Raito put her down, and was about to just walk away, but fate had other things planned for him.

"Um, thank you uhh…" the girl trailed off. She hoped he'd finish her sentence for her, and amazingly enough, Raito did.

"Raito. And what's your name?" Raito said bending over slightly to talk to the girl.

"I'm Hanabi! Thank you for saving me!" Hanabi thanked him smiling and being all cute like she was. Raito wanted to just leave the girl, but she wouldn't let him, and he had an image to uphold, so he couldn't turn her away.

"I like penguins, what kind of animal do you like?" Hanabi asked him. Raito had to think on this one. It's not like he thought about it very often. Ryuk bothered him in the background, like a fly.

"Hyuk-hyuk, she's annoying, ain't she, why don't you just ditch her? Wouldn't that be better?" Ryuk taunted Raito, who was trying to think of his favorite animal. (a/n I think Raito's trying to think of his fav. animal is such a funny concept, anyone else agree?)

"I like panthers," Raito told the girl. She gave him a puzzled look, which for her made her look incredibly cute.

"Why a panther? They're so dark, I like _mountain lions_ better than them," Hanabi emphasized mountain lions as if they were the worst thing on Earth. Raito still couldn't believe he was still talking to the little kid, she was so damn annoying!

"Probably because they always think things through before doing something, and watch their prey before going for it." The sun-dressed girl watched him in fascination. Raito thought she was thinking how he seemed so mature. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Ooh! I have to give you something in return for saving me," Hanabi exclaimed and began searching her pockets for something. Raito wondered what she could be looking for, but got no answer when she pulled air from her pockets. Hanabi paused, thinking hard. A light must have gone off in her head, for she touched her neck, where Raito noticed a necklace was. It had a small pendant and a silver chain, nothing special.

"Here, please accept this as my thanks. You don't have to wear it, but please carry it around with you, please?" Hanabi asked of him, with puppy eyes. Raito didn't think anything bad would come from taking a necklace from a little girl he just met, so he accepted it and went on his way.

"Do I get to eat apples now?" Ryuk asked really wanting an apple. Raito nodded lazily as he headed down the street looking for the nearest shop. When he looked back to see Hanabi, he didn't see her there, which was probably for the best, seeing as it was getting late.

Hanabi walked own the road, and tore off her fiery red hair, revealing raven black hair underneath. Next, came the sundress, underneath that a purple leotard with a black skirt and black leather vest. No longer was she Hanabi, a ditzy happy thirteen year-old girl, she was Riku, daughter of famous detective L.

"Hm, so my plan was a success," Riku went down the street. Riku put a piece of bubblegum in her mouth, chewed it for a bit, and blew a bubble. "Let's just see what Raito is up to."

**What the heck was Riku planning by that, and I bet only a select few of you knew ****Hanabi was Riku right away. I tried to make it seem not so obvious by throwing in junk before it to throw you off.** ** It was quite fun to write that, and yes Riku is crazy, and I love her, she's my awesome OC. ****Did you like this chapter? Hate it? Let me know in a review, because I simply ADORE reviews, they make me update faster. Just press that button down there.****You'll make an author very HAPPY.**

**C ya l8r!**


	4. Worrying and Planning

**Because I have gotten soo many reviews (and I will continue to get them, riiiight?), I update my story!! And as a random fact, in my JV meet today, I came in first in the hurdles, WOOT! Random fact! It also made me update because I am really happy, yippee!**

**Disclaimer: What am I supposed to put here? A disclaimer? Saying that I don't own Death Note? Ah, but I do own Riku! **** I love Riku.**

**All in the Past**

L was in panic mode. If he has ever been in panic mode, this is it. No other time, has he been biting his thumb, subconsciously, until it started bleeding. No other time has he paced in the same spot for so long. This mode of panic started shortly after he came home, and has yet to be stopped. But then again, he's never had a daughter lost before.

Yes, L was panicking so much because, try as he might, he could not figure out where his daughter, Riku, might be. He didn't expect her to stay at home, but he did expect her to tell _someone_ where she was, but she didn't. It was a conundrum.

A knock on the door. L wondered if he imagined it. Like, he so desperately wanted a knock on the door and have Riku standing there, that it happened. Another knock, no this time it was definitely real. And he could just tell it was Riku. L calmly sat down on a nearby couch; he knew if he was standing up, he might scare her.

Riku creaked the door open. She was procrastinating as much as possible to see her father's face. The face she was positive would be angry. So, when she at last opened the door, Riku did not look up. She could tell her father was in the room. And she didn't want him to be angry with her. Riku disobeyed him, and that was sure to cause him to be angry.

L was relieved to see his daughter safe, he was imagining the worse. The worse being her dead, kidnapped, attacked, or anything else that wouldn't allow her to come home that night or ever again. Nothing simple or normal like trying to catch Kira because in their family, that seems to be normal.

"Where have you been?" L asked his daughter. He said it as a concerning parent wanting to know where his daughter was. Riku heard like he was furious with her, and perception is reality. Since Riku perceived him angry, she got scared. Frightened of what her punishment would be. Riku now started imagining the worse.

"Are, are you angry with me?" Riku asked still not making eye contact. L was very surprised with this reaction. He wasn't angry with her, not at all, but it was obvious she thought he was. Instead of answering, L patted the space next to him on the couch. Riku slowly made her way over, dreading every moment.

L smiled. Riku couldn't see it, but he was smiling. L put his hand on her head softly, in a comforting way. Without words said at all, Riku understood he wasn't angry with her. She smiled to herself, and untensed, not realizing she'd been tense at all. She'd been so worried as to what her father thought of her, that she tensed up.

"Would you like to tell me where you were, Riku?" L asked her, trying as hard to sound concerned and not angry, and this time she caught on he wasn't angry with her. Riku took a deep breath.

"Well, I followed you soon after getting ready. Since you went to college, I decided to take a look around town and do some errands." L nodded saying he was listening to what she was saying. "I came back and saw you talking to Raito Yagami, the person you suspect to be Kira the most." Here L wanted to interrupt Riku to ask how she knew he suspected Raito of all people, but if she was able to find L, she could do a lot of things. Riku continued, "This was when I put a plan I had been concocting all day into action. I put on a red wig, a sundress, and took out a toy airplane I had bought."

"Were these going to be in use to catch Kira?" L asked her. Riku nodded. (a/n wow, that was worded funny, but I think it sounds cool, lol). Again, Riku inhaled deeply and continued her story.

"Well, please understand that what I did was backed up with facts and observations, and I didn't just _randomly_ decide to do this," Riku told her father looking him in the eye. "I sat on a sidewalk, and when I saw Raito coming, I threw the airplane making it land near his feet. I knew a car was coming and…" Riku paused here. L saw what was coming; much like Raito did, and didn't like it. Not at all. "I jumped in front of the car, in hopes Raito would save me, and he did." L let out the breath he had been holding. He didn't know he'd been holding it. L knew she was safe, but to hear your daughter almost got run over is nerve-wracking.

"May I ask why you did this?" L inquired trying not to panic again.

"I did it to test his sense of justice. He thinks he has a great sense of justice, and acts based on that justice. He's also willing to take risks if he thinks he can handle them, and he usually thinks he can because he's over-confident," Riku concluded. Even though L was worried that his daughter had been almost hit by a car and had depended on a suspected criminal to save her, he found what she said interesting.

"Riku, I can't tell you to stop doing dangerous things, but at least let me know when you're going to try one in the future," L tried to persuade his daughter. As a father, he failed. No daughter really listens to what her parents say. And they love to rebel.

"If I told you, you would've stopped me." L thought about that for a moment. It was true, he would've. The plan of jumping in front of a car to test someone's sense of justice is ridiculous, but it worked.

"Yes, I would have," L told her taking his hand off her head now. Riku just realized that his finger was bleeding. L seemed to have just noticed it, too. Riku, without thinking, took his finger and put it in her mouth, in an attempt to help him.

Watari, who was coming in to tell L of something, left to get some bandages when he saw the scene. L didn't know what to make of Riku's action. He didn't want to stop her, and didn't know if he should. So he did nothing. Riku didn't stop until Watari came back with the bandages. She did the bandaging, too, convinced that it was her fault he was hurt. If Riku wasn't so outrageous, he wouldn't have had to worry.

"Oh no!" Riku cried out suddenly remembering something. L looked at her, alarmed. He didn't know what she was thinking, and it didn't seem like he would get an answer. Riku got up from the couch and ran to the guest room, her room. She flopped on her bed and turned on the TV. L followed her, curious, and looked to see what she was watching. It was CSI. (a/n CSI, I think that it's quite funny).

"Whew, I didn't miss it, oh hi dad!" Riku said suddenly becoming a normal teenager. L was smiling on the inside. This was how a daughter was supposed to be, not trying to catch a mass murderer. L wanted to come in and watch what she was doing, but he had work to do. L left the room closing the door behind him.

Was she really watching CSI behind the closed door, though? Nope. She was listening to a conversation in a matter of minutes. One involving a criminal, and the non-existent yet existent Shinigami. Of course, Riku couldn't hear the Shinigami, but he was there. Oh, how is she listening to their conversation?

Riku is pretty smart, actually a total genius for her age. During her errands, she bought a necklace, a microphone, and a bunch of other things. Hidden inside the necklace was a microphone that she herself put together. Riku couldn't find a camera small enough fit inside the necklace's pendant, so she settled for a microphone. Using other cables, she rigged it up so that she could hear whatever the necklace was near in a 5 meter radius. Genius or what?

Problem was, she couldn't _record_ what was being said, so she either had to commit it to memory or write it down. She chose to write it down, the whole conversation Raito was having, well, with himself it seemed.

Raito was not talking to himself. Nor was he talking to his pet, unless you can have a Shinigami for a pet. Then, I guess you could say he was talking to his pet, Ryuk.

"Hey, Raito, have any up and coming plans to get close to L, or is Kira finally failing?" Ryuk taunted the teen, one of his favorite past times if you haven't figure that out yet.

"No, Ryuk, I am not failing. I will think of something," Raito said leaning back in his chair. That was easier said than done. Raito needed an event of any kind to happen, something that will shake things up. L's relative maybe?

"Hm, I could try using L's relative," Raito thought aloud, not really wanting a comment from Ryuk. He got one anyway.

"How would you do that? You don't know who his relative is. Hyuk hyuk, you're stuck," Ryuk teased, and on a roll continued, "All you have is that girl you met and that necklace, not like they'd do anything."

"The necklace?" Raito wondered aloud, not knowing that Riku was listening through the microphone. Thoughts began racing as ideas came one after the other, rapidly.

Who was that girl? L's relative? If that's true, then she was investigating me. She was trying to figure out if I was Kira. Then why would she give me the necklace…? The last thought hit Raito like a bullet train. Immediately, he tore out the necklace from his pocket, and pried it open.

Raito was correct in his thoughts; the necklace was bugged, there were wires all over it. But what could they mean? Raito examined the wires, and found that there was a microphone.

'Dammit!' Raito cried in his head, 'someone's been listening to my whole conversation! That girl, she must be working for L, to go so far as to bug a necklace, it's something only L would do.' (a/n or L's daughter, she would, too).

Raito thought back on his conversation, he didn't say anything that would give someone concrete proof that was Kira, but he sure gave them enough clues that it wouldn't be long before they figured it out. It all depends on the genius of the person, and, according the complicatedness of wired microphone and the thought put into the plan, the person was very smart. You were bound to be if you were detective L's daughter.

Raito didn't know it was L's daughter, but thought it to be L, who is just as, if not more, dangerous. Raito calmly put the necklace in the trash and brought the trash downstairs and put it outside. He walked back upstairs with a straight face. The façade was lost when he got to his room and closed the door.

"How did I let him beat me!? How did he manage to get a microphone in my house without me knowing!?" Raito ranted losing all control. He was so angry at L for having gotten so close to him, but Raito saw through, barely. Judging on the mechanics he saw in the microphone, it would be impossible for the microphone to record what he had said. It was too simple for that, but someone was definitely listening on. So there was still a chance…no. He had to assume that L was listening to his entire conversation.

The only real clue he gave away was Ryuk's name. But Ryuk's name could mean a lot to L, as he always seems to focus in on small things. This was L they were talking about, right?

Wrong. They were talking about L's daughter, Riku, who as a child has a great imagination. She wrote the conversation down, and looked over it. She knew the conversation had ended because she had lost transmission, meaning the necklace was broken in some way. Probably thrown out or smashed. Either way, she wasn't getting that necklace back. Back to the conversation:

"No, Ryuk, I am not failing. I will think of something,"

"Hm, I could try using L's relative,"

"The necklace?"

It wasn't much, but, like a poem, each line had to be taken into consideration. Riku sat on her bed and crossed her legs. She took out a piece of gum she'd bought on her errands, and started chewing. It was her way of thinking, without getting cavities.

In the first line, he looks like he could be talking about his homework, but who is Ryuk? A pet? Riku would have to find out. The second line interested her. Using L's relative. She couldn't possibly conjecture as to what that could mean, but she guessed that it's referring to her, Hanabi. And the last line told her that he was about to investigate the necklace.

There was one thing puzzling her, though. Raito definitely seemed to be talking to someone; there were pauses in between each line where someone could be speaking. No noise was heard, so it wasn't a pet. Online chatting? Riku doubted it, but it was a possibility. Riku put the conversation away and concentrated on CSI, like she was supposed to.

L had no clue what his daughter was doing. For all he knew, she was watching CSI, trying to be like her father. He was right, she was trying to be like her father, but she wasn't watching CSI. Somewhere in the back of L's mind he knew that, but he really didn't want to admit it. L was being childish himself. He wanted to believe that his daughter was normal. As normal as she could be with him for a father.

Too bad that he was wrong and his daughter was getting farther in the Kira case than he was. Riku wondered, still chewing her gum, if her father would be proud of her for what she's doing. Probably. Riku's bubble popped and she contemplated what to do tomorrow; she still had one more day left before going back to school.

**Whew!! I wrote that really fast, but I already had all my thoughts organized, so it wasn't hard. Ah… it's after 11:00 p.m. sigh I need a life. Wait, anime is my life. I need a better life. One that let's me sleep normal hours. Ah forget it! I love anime too much. Y'know what I love MORE than anime, though? REVIEWS!! I LOVE REVIEWS!!! They make me happy and I get to reply to them, so just write me a little spiel of what you thought about my story. PLEASE?**


	5. A New Idea and a New Friend

**I haven't gotten as many reviews as I expected, but it'll do! For all those ppl that have reviewed, I dedicate this chapter to you!! YAY! ****And to those that have favorited it/alerted it, I thank you, but you could review, too. ****I reply to all my reviews as a courtesy to them. Enough rambling, ON WIT IT!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the clothes on my back and Riku. And a pencil, and my memories. I wonder if you can own ****memories.**** Ah well. I don't own Death Note, sadly.**

**All in the Past**

Riku woke up the next morning, determined to find out more information about Kira. L woke up determined to catch Kira. Riku had gone home yesterday and slept in her apartment. As much as she loved her father, she had the apartment rented out for a while and wanted to make use of it. She had breakfast at her apartment, and went to where her father was soon after she finished. Riku contemplated how to ask him for more information on Kira. When she came up with nothing, she decided it would work out somehow.

L was looking to see if Kira was making any mistakes in what he was doing. Kira had stopped testing his method of killing people a long time ago, it seems, and was now going through the motions of killing criminals. It frustrated L that he could do nothing. It really infuriated him. L needed to do something, but what? No way would he use his daughter, and he couldn't kidnap Raito or anything like that, it would be wrong.

So what was he supposed to do? He has thought of asking Raito to join the task force. It seems like the next step in the plan to catch Kira, but how is he supposed to ask him? Just walk up to him and ask him? No, that would not work. He needed some kind of trigger, but neither he nor Kira was making any sudden movements.

L was interrupted in his thoughts when Riku came over. Maybe she could help him figure something out, a new lead maybe? He decided that it was worth it. There was nothing to risk, except getting her more involved, but she wouldn't do anything rash, would she? Riku would, but L didn't want to believe that and decided to share what information he had.

"Riku, I would like you to take a look at some info we have collected on Kira," L told his daughter, turning to face her. Riku looked puzzled, but happy at the same time.

"Sure, I'll do anything I can to help!" Riku exclaimed wondering what kind of info they could have on Kira. L took out the three letters he has gotten from Kira and the 12 FBI agents and when they received the file times.

Riku looked over what she was given. It didn't take too long for her to figure out what the letters said.

"L do you know Gods of Death love apples?" Riku said out loud, "What do you think that means?" L never really thought about those in particular depth. He knew that they proved that Kira could control someone's actions before they die, but what do the words actually mean? L cursed himself for not looking into them deeper. He has thought about it, but never came up with anything worth sharing or remembering.

"The fact that criminals wrote these down means that Kira can control someone's actions before they die, did you know that?" L informed his daughter, who already knew that and nodded.

"But what about the words? What do they mean?" Riku questioned. L started chewing his thumb.

"We don't know, we never figured it out," L confessed. He meant "we" as in the task force, so the whole task force never figured it out. Riku was confused about something. Kira could kill people, but how? That's what she wanted to know.

"Hey, dad?" Riku started. L nodded signaling he was listening to what she had to say, "How do you think Kira kills people? I doubt he just wishes for it and it happens." Again this is something that L has thought about, but never deduced anything note-worthy. He never really cared for how Kira kills, he is concerned more with what he can do, and how to stop him from doing it, but maybe learning how he does it could lead to stopping it.

"Riku, I would like you to hold your thoughts until the rest of the task force comes here. After they are here, I would like you to tell them, as well as me, what you think. Okay?" L confirmed with Riku. She nodded and gathered her thoughts in the order she would like to say them.

L went to the couch to try to gather what he thinks Kira uses to kill. L doubts that it's as simple as he wants someone dead and they die, but he must go based on that assumption. L, as a detective, can't be lenient and say that Kira has to do something because if Kira doesn't have to do something, then he puts in jeopardy all the people in the force, and that now includes his daughter. Unless he can get concrete proof on what he uses to kill people, he has to assume the worst.

The task force came soon enough, and L had to make the announcement. They already knew L had a daughter, he introduced her, but he needed to announce she had something to say.

"Riku has some information she would like to share," L said getting everyone's attention. All gathered around the coffee table in the middle of the room, and Riku sat next to her father, L. The way L said it, she thought, made it seem like show-and-tell day like when she was younger. She would've laughed, but all on eyes were on her, expecting her to say something.

"I am not looking at why Kira kills, or how to stop him, but I want to know how he does it. How he can make someone he's never met before, seen only a picture and know only a name, and make them die. It perplexes me. And not just make them die, from what my dad has told me, Kira can control people before they die, but how does he do it?" Riku has succeeded in getting everyone's attention, and so she continued with no interruption.

"I guess that he must use a tool. Some kind of device. Either he made it or it was given to him by some outside force. I do not think it was a power he has had because the killings just started and he seemed like he was testing his power, too. Am I correct in saying that?"

"Yes, Riku. At the beginning Kira killed a small criminal probably near where he lived. After that, he tested it, seeing how far he could control people and the task force and I have agreed upon that," L wrapped up looking at said task force that has been quiet the entire time, wanting to know the extent of L's daughter's knowledge.

"So, I think he was given a tool that requires some kind of writing. Whether he has to sketch the face and write the name of the person, I think he needs to do something in that matter," Riku explained her thought process.

"How did you come to that?" Chief Yagami inquired to the teenage girl.

"I doubt he has a voodoo doll to control people before they die, and he has to make a voodoo doll for each person. If Kira made his tool, he would make something simple, and if it was given, I doubt an actual person gave it to him and told him the process. I could not think of any other way that would make sense. We have never actually seen Kira kill, but we do know that he needs a name and face. Unless, he uses an outside force to do it, I say he needs to write or draw something on something else specific."

Everyone in the room was silent. All were rolling over what she had said in their minds. Matsuda was the first to speak up.

"What do you mean an outside force?" he asked. The rest of the force wondered what he could mean. She obviously meant other accomplices, so why did he ask?

"I was wondering if anyone would ask about that," Riku said smiling at little, taking out her gum once again. She started chewing and replied, "I mean, not accomplices, but Death Gods." Everyone thought she was crazy.

"Death Gods? You mean those that are supposed to lead you to heaven or hell?" Aizawa questioned what she said incredulously.

"Exactly what I meant, why? Is there a problem with my logic? I did not say it was definite, but a possibility." L turned over what she had said. Is that what he had missed in those letters the criminals had written? Was Kira somehow implying that he was using a Shinigami to help him? L doubted it, but could not deny it, it was a possibility.

"What would this Death God do?" Aizawa continued. Everyone was as curious to see what she could be thinking.

"Well, I know that as a child I have an overactive imagination, but please take me seriously. What if the Shinigami is the tool that he uses? What if he tells the Shinigami to kill people, and he does? Or if he tells the Shinigami to control people, and he does and then kills them? It's not totally crazy, is it?"

"Where did you get the idea of Death Gods in the first place?" Mr. Yagami asked. Riku pointed to the letters.

"Kira controlled criminals to write those. What would the point of them be? He put in that he knows of Death Gods, but threw you off when he sad that they liked apples. When he said that, you all gave up on what the letters actually said, and concentrated more on what they meant," Riku concluded on what she wanted to say. She didn't give them anything concrete, she just brainstormed for them.

"What do you want us to do with this information?" L asked the girl next to him. Riku shrugged.

"I guess I just want you to be on the look out for anything that relates to what I just said, and be open to more possibilities than just what is real," Riku said as she went to her room. Before she closed the door, though, she wanted to ask Mr. Yagami something. "Um, Mr. Yagami?" Riku began.

"Yes? What is it?" he replied. Mr. Yagami thought it was odd. Riku looked like Sayu quite a bit and was her age, too, so when he talked to her it was like he was talking to Sayu. So her question surprised him even more.

"Sayu's off from school today like I am, right?" and to this Mr. Yagami nodded, "does she have any plans? Or is she free today?" Riku finally asked what she'd been wanting to for a while. She knew Sayu from school, and had talked to her before, but wanted to know more about her.

"Yes, she is, why?" Riku just smiled. She went into her room to get ready to go over to see Sayu. She has talked to Sayu before, so it would be fine, she thought, if she just went over to her house. Also, the excuse that she needed help with homework was good.

"Ok, then, I'm off!" Riku announced to the task force, mainly to her dad, a few minutes later. She had her shoes on, a fleece jacket, and black pants. Before going out the door she put on her gloves and was out when L realized he didn't know where she was going. Before he could ask, though, she answered for him. "I'm off to see Sayu, bye dad!" L nodded and went back to work.

"How is it, being a father, Ryuuzaki?" Mr. Yagami asked, wondering what his response would be.

"I don't know how you do it," L replied still looking for more news on Kira. Chief Yagami almost laughed out loud at his response. He didn't know how he did it either; actually he didn't really know how his family was doing either. He'd have to ask Riku later when she came back, if she came back, how Sayu was doing.

Riku walked to the Yagami household. She knew where it was because she made it her job to know where the suspected criminal Raito was. Along the way, though, she bought an envelope, and wrote something on the inside flap of it. She folded it and wrote on the top of the envelope, "To Raito Yagami" and put a return address, her apartment, on there, and continued on to the Yagami household.

She got there and put the envelope in the mailbox, making sure no one was watching her, and went to ring the doorbell, taking off her gloves. She waited for Mrs. Yagami or Sayu to answer it. Mrs. Yagami did. It was then that Riku realized she didn't know what to say.

"Um, is Sayu here?" Riku asked sheepishly. Mrs. Yagami nodded and called out to Sayu, who was upstairs in her room.

"Oh, hi Kari!" Sayu greeted. Kari had never been over Sayu's house, but they had talked before in school, so it wasn't too awkward. Kari took off her shoes and stepped inside.

"Hey, Sayu, did you remember your history book for the homework because I forgot mine at school, and was wondering if I could use yours." Riku explained. She actually did have her book, at her apartment, but she desperately needed some reason to talk to Sayu, and this seemed as good as any.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd be the type of person to forget their book!" Sayu joked. Kari wasn't the type of person to be forgetful, and she had a perfect grade in every class.

"Hehe, I don't know what got into me! Must be my worriment for my dad. Like your dad, he's also involved in the Kira case," Kari told her friend as they went upstairs to Sayu's room. They ran into Raito on the way up, though.

"Is this your friend, Sayu?" Raito asked inspecting Kari, who smiled back at him. She was also studying him in a more discreet manner, but it was natural, she supposed, for a brother to want to know his sister's friends.

"Yes, this is Kari, and Kari, this is Raito, my brother," Sayu made the introductions, forgetting Kari's earlier comment. (a/n I hope it's not confusing for the Kari/Riku thing. But her classmates know her as Kari, and it's pretty awkward for her to change her name to Riku so suddenly. It doesn't work.)

"Nice to meet you, Raito," Kari said bowing slightly to show respect since he was older.

"I'm surprised Sayu has a polite friend because she's not polite at all," Raito remarked.

"I am too polite!" Sayu argued back, "C'mon, Kari let's go." Sayu said dragging her friend up the stairs now. Raito watched her go before going back to his room, forgetting what he went downstairs for, only to go back downstairs ten seconds later.

Kari and Sayu did their homework fairly quickly, it wasn't too hard, and so they started talking about random things. Like regular teenagers do. At first they talked about their teacher, then kids they knew, and then hot guys the liked. Sayu could have gone on and on for hours about a guy she liked named Yuki, and then she inquired as to who Kari liked.

"I don't like anyone," Kari told her friend as they sat on Sayu's bed. Sayu smirked.

"C'mon, tell me who! I won't tell anyone, I swear!" Sayu coaxed. Riku really didn't like anyone, when a plan suddenly formed in her mind.

"But it's really awkward to tell _you_!" Kari tried to explain. Sayu looked confused. Why would it be really hard to tell her? That's when Sayu got it. Sayu smiled.

"Oh, I see. I know who it is now," Sayu taunted. Kari's eyes bugged.

"Y-You do?" Bingo. Riku knew Sayu had figured it out, and hopefully, being Sayu, would try to do something to help.

"You like Raito, don't you?" Kari freaked out. She tried to deny it, and then gave up when Sayu wasn't giving in to her denials.

"Am I that obvious?" Kari asked blushing a little. Riku was having tons of fun acting like a love-sick schoolgirl. (a/n I hope I'm not confusing you. I don't know how to explain it, so if you need it clarified, tell me in a review, and I'll tell you specially. Okay?)

"No, you're doing pretty well hiding it," Sayu told her, "but, hey would you like me to help you?" Kari looked at her skeptically. How would Sayu help out?

Sayu was going to have fun with this. She'd always wanted to play match-maker, and this is the perfect time to do it. Her new friend and her brother, and she already had a plan to introduce them better. Quickly she explained her plan to Kari, who listened intently and they put it into action.

Raito was doing homework, when he heard a knock. Surprised, he told them to come in. He knew it was going to be Sayu, but he also saw her friend, Kari was it? Yes, her name was Kari.

"Hello, Sayu, need help with homework?" Raito asked knowing the answer was a yes. He thought it was odd, though, how Sayu looked like she was holding back laughter, but dismissed it as a teenage girl thing. Kari looked really shy. Her raven hair was long, and she was wearing a tee-shirt that said "Got milk?" on it.

"Yes we do, we need help understanding what's being said here," Sayu pointed to a section in her textbook, and Raito got up to help her and her friend. Raito explained it, and was almost done when Mrs. Yagami called for him. Raito left his room to see what she wanted. Sayu and Kari went back to Sayu's room, when Kari realized she left her textbook in Raito's room.

Riku walked in, wary that someone might be watching her. She looked quickly at Raito's desk, and as she was picking up her text book to leave, she knocked over his pencil. She bent down to pick it up, and when she looked under the desk, saw a miniscule hole. She had no time to ponder about it, and went o leave immediately, when Raito entered the room.

Riku reminded herself that she was Kari, who had a crush on him, and acted accordingly.

"U-Um, I'm sorry! I left my textbook here, and yeah, bye!" Kari panicked and left the room quickly. Raito was puzzled, but ignored it when he looked at the envelope his mom and given him.

"To Raito Yagami" was on the front, and when he opened the envelope, there nothing on the inside. Instead there were these words written on the flap of the envelope, in English.

"I know about Ryuk, the Death God."

WHEW! That was a long chapter! I wanted to end it at a good point, though, and that seemed like the best one. Hope everyone liked it! I thought it would be fun to use Sayu as she is never mentioned. I couldn't find out how old Sayu is, so for all intensive purposes, she is Kari/Riku's age. If you are confused about why I switched between Kari and Riku, please tell me in a review and I'll try to explain in it. I was going to leave it in a cliff-hanger, but decided no to, although it kind of is.

C ya l8r!


	6. Dangerous Plan in Action

**Hmm, didn't get many reviews, but I would like to ****thank ilovedisneyland**** for adding me to numerous things and reviewing! I should just put every person I'd like to thank, but I want to update for everyone, so I'll shut up.**

**Disclaimer: I own Death Note about as much as I can keep quiet, which isn't very long, so yeah! Not mine.**

**All in the Past**

The words kept ringing in Raito's head. "I know about Ryuk, the Death God." How did this person find out about Ryuk? Much less know that he was a Death God. Raito pondered for a bit when he came to an answer. That girl, Hanabi. She put a microphone in the necklace and listened to his conversation with Ryuk that day. Raito doubted highly she could have heard Ryuk as well, so how did she figure it out? Maybe she's working with L…? Possibly. He can't ignore the possibility, but how? How did someone come to this?!

"That girl has got you figured out, Raito, hyuk hyuk," Ryuk mocked. Ryuk watched as Raito freaked out. Raito was grabbing at his hair, almost tearing it out. Ryuk didn't know how this girl figured out he was a Death God, and it didn't really bother him, but he enjoyed watching Raito as he couldn't do anything.

"Ryuk, if you ever want an apple again, you'll stay quiet," Raito warned at the end of his patience. Ryuk gulped, boy was he mad. He was deciding whether or not to torture the teenager more, when said teenager interrupted him. "What's this?"

Ryuk walked over to see what Raito was looking at. On the inside of the envelope was also written, "6:00 Return Address Tomorrow." So, she knew he was going to get the envelope today? Raito, Ryuk knew and I bet the readers know as well, was not one to back down from a challenge, and this person, whether it was L or Hanabi, was calling him out.

"Are you going to accept the challenge?" Ryuk asked, knowing the answer. Raito looked over at him and smirked.

"Of, course, I can't disappoint my fan," Raito said sitting down in his chair. He was going to continue when he heard a knock on the door, again. Raito assumed it was Sayu again and her friend, wanting to bug him more, so he was pleasantly surprised when he found just her friend.

"U-Um, would you," Kari began fumbling for words. Kari was looking at the ground, doing anything not to make eye contact. Inside, Riku was having _s__o _much fun pretending to like Raito. She was basically taunting him because he didn't know that she was doing this to learn information.

"Yes?" Raito said wanting her to continue. 'Ah, I do have a fan, not the one I was looking for, and I guess I'll have to decline her, if she ever gets the courage to speak,' Raito mused in his head.

"Would you go with me to see a movie?" Kari finally blurted out. (a/n I was having a laughing fit typing this, it was just too funny, so it took me a while to finally get this part down, sorry, continue.) Riku wasn't expecting him to accept her request, but this just made her look more innocent, and it needed to be done.

Kari started fumbling with her fingers, waiting for his reply. Raito was going to decline her offer, but thought of something. What if this was Hanabi? It was quite possible, and seemed to make sense, and this could be the perfect opportunity to get close to a person hot on his trail. It was worth an hour or two of his time to figure out who she was.

"Sure, let's say… Friday at 7:00?" Raito told the girl fumbling in front of him. 'If this girl is Hanabi,' Raito thought, 'she's a really good actress, like me.'

"R-Really? Okay, sure! See you then!" Kari told him and went back to Sayu's room. What? He said yes? Riku misinterpreted him. She didn't think he'd have enough time to spend on a girl like her, but what if he was making the connection? Riku knew it wasn't too hard to put two and two together and get that she was Hanabi, but she didn't think he'd get it that fast.

"How'd it go?" Sayu asked as Kari came in blushing, "Ooh, I'd say that's a yes! Sweet! Sayu matches her first couple. So what's the plan?" Sayu pried into Kari's personal life, but then again, she was the one that gave Kari the idea in the first place so it's all good. Sayu was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Riku flopped on it, wrapping herself in the softness of the blue blanket.

"We're going to the movies Friday at 7:00," Kari told her friend who seemed interested in what she was doing. Sayu smiled. Now her brother wouldn't bother her, at least for a while. He was always in his room going on and on about something, but Sayu never knew what. Kari's voice brought Sayu back from her thoughts. "So, are you going to ask Yuki? C'mon, I asked Raito."

"I'll try, although I don't know if he'll say yes," Sayu told Kari who laughed at Sayu's shyness. Riku's head was spinning with thoughts as she and Sayu talked about random things again.

'Raito suspects I'm Hanabi and I think he'll meet me tomorrow at my apartment, tomorrow's my last day there anyway, so it's my only chance. I may not get the chance again. I have to do it tomorrow, but I wonder what Raito, a.k.a. Kira, will do in preparation. He must have something planned, but I won't act the way he wants me to. I can guarantee him that,' Riku's thought process went as she finished up her visit and went to her apartment.

"Tomorrow," Riku whispered as she laid down for bed.

L's day went by fairly quickly. He didn't find anything new, and had re-watched every video, hoping something would come up that he didn't see before, but no use. L knew he had to make some kind of move. Kira would not benefit from doing anything, so L needed to do something, and he needed to make it count.

But what? There was only one thing he could do, and he decided to do it tomorrow, during school. Raito would be expecting something like this, but L needed to make the first move here.

"Mr. Yagami," L said swiveling in his chair to face the chief, "how would you feel if your son was on the task force, too?"

Raito woke up the next morning and did everything mechanically. Got ready for school, and went to school. Took notes, did work, and then it was after school, 4:00.

Raito came out of the school and began his walk home, the invisible Shinigami behind him. He saw L waiting for him it seemed, and knew he should probably go see him. Maybe L had something interesting to tell him.

"Would you like to join the task force?" L bluntly told Raito. Raito had to blink. He had wanted to join the task force, but when L says it like that, it makes him wonder if he has something planned. What could he have planned? Something to do with Hanabi, maybe. If he turns this offer down, though, he may never get it again, and he know he'd regret it.

"So sudden?" Raito asked stalling. L knew Raito was stalling, but could only play along.

"There has been nothing new, so I thought if I had your cooperation, maybe we could figure something out. You are quite smart, Raito," L told him, wondering what his reaction would be. Raito knew he had to make a choice, but which one?

"Okay, what would you like me to do? I can't do anything today, I have plans," Raito started explaining. L studied him. Raito wanted to know desperately what he was thinking, what he had planned for him.

"I see, tomorrow then, goodbye Raito," L concluded getting into the car waiting for him. Raito got up from the bench and left for home. He had to meet Hanabi he supposed at the address, though he already knew where it was, it could take him a while to get there.

L was in his car thinking. What next? Yes, he asked Raito to join him, thinking of the saying "Keep your friends close, and you enemies closer," but what now? There was still no trigger, nothing to go by. He would still have to wait, and L hated waiting.

Raito looked up at the apartment complex. The room number on the envelope was 313, the third floor. Raito walked in and greeted the bell hop. (a/n or whoever the heck the person that stands at the desk is.) The bell hop said hello back and asked if he needed directions to the room. Raito replied no, found the stairs and headed to the third floor. He got to the door and paused before opening it. Raito had all the preparations ready.

Upon opening the door, he saw Hanabi, the girl with fiery red hair sitting on the floor facing him. She wore a blue dress, similar to that of Alice in Alice in Wonderland's. One thing was noticeably different about her. On her face, she wore a cat mask. A black mask that was smiling at Raito with slits for eyes. Her black eyes shone through.

"Welcome, Raito Yagami, suspected of being Kira, would you like to sit down?" Hanabi patted the space in front of her. Raito knew he had to sit there. So he did.

"You have a nice apartment here," Raito commented, making small talk. He really wanted to ask her questions, but they needed to wait. He had to be patient, he shouldn't rush these things.

"Thank you, but your room is quite messy, you should clean it," Hanabi commented. Raito couldn't tell what her expression was under the mask, but he could guess that she was smirking. Raito didn't know how bold she was to make a comment like that. Hanabi could very well be bluffing, or she could have actually been in his room.

"I suppose you would like to know why I asked you to meet me here, don't you?" Hanabi asked. Raito made no movement. He sat still, telling her to continue. "As much as games are fun, I like talking, too. So, we can compromise. Fair?"

"Compromise?" Raito echoed back what she said, "sounds fair, but what could you possibly give me?" Raito tested her. He knew what she wanted or could guess, but he wanted to know what she was willing to give.

"A name or face. Your choice." Raito almost blew his cover. Hanabi was willing to give him her name or face? This soon? She was really gambling, willing to give him that much, but she wasn't going to get him.

"Why would I want something like that? I'm not Kira or anything," Raito told her airily. This girl was clever, but so was he.

"I didn't say you were, but you came here wanting to know who I am, correct? I see no other reason for you to have come at all." Raito knew she was splaying mind games with him now.

"It's common courtesy to answer back to a letter, but since you arranged a meeting, I thought it would just be better to come meet you." What will you reply with now, Hanabi?

"Of course! How silly of me was it to say that," Hanabi switched from being a detective to being the little kid Raito met two days ago. "Would you like tea? It should be ready soon," Hanabi got up and poured out some tea into two cups. Raito had some time to think about what he wanted to do next. All she wanted to do was talk, but neither was going to give up anything.

"Tea's ready!" Hanabi announced bringing in two cups. Raito took a cup, and both took a sip. Raito was vaguely aware that she very well could have poisoned it or something, but she wouldn't do that, would she? Raito didn't know a lot about this girl, but he was awake and didn't feel any pain, and to be suspicious of her would definitely prove something. Raito had to keep his cover, at all costs.

"Why did you send a letter with information like this on it?" Raito asked showing her the envelope. Raito knew she had to answer this, but she didn't seem to be afraid, or concerned.

"I, like L the detective, suspect you of being Kira, and so I sent you that telling you I know that Kira uses the help of a Shinigami named Ryuk."

"And how did you come to this conclusion?" Raito asked. This was what he really wanted to know. How did she come to this conclusion, when there are so many other possible ones?

"Eh, I don't know. Why are you so very curious to know?" Hanabi fired back at him with a question of her own. Raito was prepared.

"I guess that it's just natural to be curious, 'curiosity killed the cat' as they say," Raito told her shrugging a little to emphasize.

"You're wrong, curiosity didn't kill the cat, ignorance did. The cat didn't know what he was doing would kill him, Raito." Raito glared at the girl behind the mask of a straight face. 'Dammit, she's still playing mind games with me,' Raito cried out in his mind.

"And because you've been so cooperative until now, I'll tell you something. I heard you say the name Ryuk in your room, when no one was there, so I wonder who you could have been talking to? You weren't online, and you weren't on the phone, and I doubt an intelligent person like you can hallucinate, so I wonder who it was?" Hanabi was taunting him now. Raito knows it. Hanabi knows it. But who will break down first? Who will give in first? Raito knew he needed an answer for her, or she needed to die, and he couldn't kill her.

She got him, and he could do nothing. Nothing intelligent rhymes with Ryuk, except look, and that didn't even make sense. Raito was still thinking when Hanabi interrupted him. She wasn't done yet. She still needed to put more pressure on him.

"And after that, you said, 'Hm, I could try using L's relative,' did you not? What could you mean by that, hm? Who would L's relative be? As far as I know, which isn't much, he doesn't have any relatives he knows of." Hanabi had Raito dancing on the wires now, and he knew it, she knew it, heck even Ryuk knew it.

"You're screwed Raito, she's got you," Ryuk told the boy who couldn't think when an idea came to his head.

"What are you talking about?" Raito asked Hanabi. He looked up at her completely dumbfounded. At first Hanabi was confused, wondering what trick he was playing.

"I don't know what you're talking about; I never said any of those things." Hanabi was about to tell him she had proof, when she realized that she didn't. The system she bought didn't record sound, so she had to commit the words he said to memory, she had no substantial evidence. Hanabi had no evidence that he said any of those things, none.

Raito smirked to himself. He got her. He just took all that pressure off of himself and put it on her. Who knew playing innocent could be so easy? Hanabi smiled at him under the mask. She knew he beat her there.

"Hey, Raito, are you in the investigation against Kira, to clear your name?" Hanabi wondered aloud. Raito looked at her skeptically. Maybe she and L were planning something after all. Raito nodded.

"Good luck clearing your name!" Hanabi cheered him on. Raito didn't get how she could switch from accusing him of so many things, and then switch over in an instant to being a small girl in a blue dress.

"Thank you and I guess that's my cue to leave, goodbye, Hanabi," Raito said getting up and leaving.

And soon as Raito left, Riku heaved a big sigh.

"Did you catch all of that, dad?" Riku turned to face her father who was recording the entire conversation in the other room, through the wall.

"You know that was very risky, Riku," L told her, "He could very easily have taken off your mask, made you tell your name, and kill you, or just kill you. He is a murderer."

"I'm still alive aren't I?" Riku turned to her dad taking off her wig and mask smiling at him. She seemed so happy to be able to help.

"What I am gonna do with you?" L muttered shaking his head. Riku continued smiling and laughed a little.

**Bet'cha didn't see that coming!! Haha, you all lose, I win, yay me!! Lol. Actually you win because you read it, so yay for you! WOOT! And do you know what will make me really happy? Pressing that button down there and reviewing, yep it sure would.**

**I'm starting to lose interest in this story, so unless more people come through with reviews, updates will come less and less often**

**Also, in a review, give me any ideas 'cause I'm just making this up as I go along. I have the ending in my mind, but that's it! I need you all to HELP ME OUT!!! **

**C ya l8r!**


	7. Flirting with Disaster

**Here we ****go,**** another chapter. ****Yay.**** I don't know why, but I'm very downcast today. Very blah and uncaring, is that a bad thing? It probably is, but ah well. Death Note is like that, so maybe I'll get more into character. ****Maybe.**

**Disclaimer: I own Death Note! In my Dreams!! ****YAY for my dreams because I'll never own Death Note in real life, sadly.**

**All in the Past**

Riku and L were back at the apartment where L lives. They were trying to figure out what everything meant. Everything being what Raito said. L knew what Riku said was mostly true. Everything she said made perfect sense, as much as they didn't have evidence to support it. But for L's purposes, he didn't need any concrete proof. He had all the proof he needed. He was 25 per cent sure that Raito was Kira. Yes there is the possibility that he isn't, but more and more evidence seems to point to him.

Riku was biding her time until she could get concrete proof on him. He now knew to look out for any little girls, and that included Sayu's friend, Kari, she was under suspicion now. He couldn't prove it, though, which was good. Then there was also the fact that he was joining the task force, upon L's request. She was going to need to disguise herself again; maybe she'd go with sandy hair. Riku would've laughed had she not been concentrating.

Then there was her date with Raito.

"Riku, do you have any plans?" L asked aloud. He had many ideas swirling in his head, but he didn't think any of them would work out too well. Riku thought for a little bit.

"I'm meeting Raito at 7:00 on Friday, tomorrow, as Kari, a girl that has a crush as him. Does that count as a plan?" Riku questioned. L blinked.

"Yes, that would be a plan. Do you have any intentions as to what you should be doing in this plan?" L asked. Riku shook her head no. Riku knew that Raito wouldn't be on the task force until next week. So, for the rest of the day, she was going to relax. She and her dad were sitting on the couch, both in their thinking positions. Hers is her legs crossed and his is his crouched position.

"Riku," L began after a minute of thinking, "I have a plan, but are you up to it?" L smiled looking over at his daughter to see her reaction. Riku smiled back.

"Of course."

Raito was waiting at the movie theatre for his 'date.' He almost forgot why he was he accepted it in the first place, but was soon reminded that he suspected Kari of being Hanabi. It was funny; he was in the same situation with L, or Ryuga Hideki, or whoever he called himself. It seems like everyone nowadays is pretending to be someone else.

"R-Raito!" a voice called out to him. Raito turned to the sound, knowing it was Kari. She was wearing a just barely knee length blue skirt. Her shirt was a low cut long sleeved purple shirt that had a blue floral pattern matching her skirt. Around her neck was a blue choker necklace with a purple plastic jewel in the center. Kari's hair was down, but had a small bow on top of her head. Raito could tell she was doing her absolute best to impress him, and it worked, kind of.

"You look nice," Raito complimented on her outfit. Kari' cheeks colored a little, clutching a small bag she was holding. Raito was holding nothing, but had a piece of the death note in his watch, just in case. "Shall we get going?"

Kari nodded vigorously as Raito led the way. They bought two tickets and went to see a "chick flick." Riku hated these kinds of movies. They made her want to laugh at how stupid the people are. However, Kari had to love them, no matter how much Riku didn't want to.

"Hey, Raito, how long are you going to last? You're going out with a kid, what if someone sees you? What then? Your perfect image will be ruined. Hyuk, hyuk, that would be something," Ryuk (if you didn't already guess who it was) taunted the suspected criminal. Raito was ready to strangle Ryuk for his comments, but had to restrain himself, it would be insane of him to strangle air.

Raito kept looking over at Kari throughout the movie. It confused innocent Kari, but Riku could guess that he was either examining her or making it seem like he was interested in her. Either way was funny to her.

"Is there something on my face?" Kari asked after locking eyes with him. Raito smiled (smirked if you knew that he was acting) and pointed to her face.

"Not unless you could count beauty," Raito told her, making the girl blush. Kari snapped her head back to the movie screen, suddenly taking an interest back in it. (a/n okay, I had from here on typed out to like near the end, but when I went back to it, it was gone. So forgive if the part after this seems rushed or anything like that. I'll try to not make it rushed, but I'm an impatient person.)

L, back at headquarters, was watching the whole thing. There was a camera hidden on Kari, as well as a microphone so he could listen into their conversation. Where were these things, you ask? Think hard now, where would Riku and L put a camera? If you said on her bag, you failed. We now kick you out of genius school. If you said her choker necklace, you were right!! Here's a cookie.

Anyway, L was watching this little interaction, and it got him mad. Not mad because Kari's wasting time, no that's fine. What he's mad about is Raito. How dare he flirt with his little girl?! L, as a father, was very overprotective. He reminded himself that Raito is a suspected criminal he should be watching and observing, but that is very hard to do when said person is 'hitting on' your daughter.

L was up to the job, hopefully.

Soon enough, the rest of the task force came in, ready for their job. L didn't explain what he was watching; he assumed they would figure it out. And contrarily, none of the task force asked. They found a seat, sat down, and watched the show.

Riku wanted the movie to be over with. The main girl was an idiot to fall in love with a mass murderer that was hiding he killed her parents. The main girl figured it out, though, and when he learned that she did, he threatened to kill her. She didn't beg for her life, she told him she'd love to die by his hand. The killer was confused. Kari was crying slightly at this scene and the guy was going to give his response when Kari's cell phone vibrated.

Looking at it, Riku answered it, knowing who it was. However, she had to pretend she didn't because she isn't psychic and doesn't have caller I.D. either.

"Hello?" Kari responded. Her face fell at who answered her call. Raito looked over at her, wondering why her face fell. "Um, okay, hold on." Raito decided it was normal curiosity to see who was on the phone, so he asked.

"Who's on the phone?" Kari looked very grave. Riku thought about it, and came to the conclusion that she could tell Raito who she was talking to. Not the whole truth, but part of it, anyway.

"My dad," Kari whispered gulping, "I'll be right back." Raito watched as the girl left the theatre and went outside. Raito smirked at her retreating form. He could think she was contacting L and getting some instructions for a plan, or a check-up to see if the plan was going well. He was pretty sure of it.

"Raito," Ryuk began his taunts again, "you're still hanging around this kid? You must be desperate for some information." Raito would glare at the Death God, floating behind him, but that would look odd. "Hyuk, what do you plan on getting from this? Not a whole lot, I suppose, seeing as this is just a kid." Oh yes, Raito definitely wanted to strangle the Death God.

Riku took refuge in the bathroom against a wall. Raito wasn't going in there anytime soon is what she figured. And if he did, it didn't matter if he was Kira or not, he would be put on trial, so it's all good.

"Riku, do you need me to go over the plan again?" L checked in with the spy.

"No, I'm good. I remember what I'm supposed to do." L nodded. Riku wondered what else could be going on in his mind.

"Don't take too many risks, okay?" Riku almost laughed. What, was the famous super-detective L worried about his daughter? Apparently it was true.

"Don't worry; I won't dad, love you!" Riku squealed into the receiver, hanging up. L didn't know how to respond to this. He felt amused, but didn't know if he should be amused. He knew that he could be angry at her for teasing him by saying something like that, but he didn't feel that way. He didn't know how he should feel, so L was amused, whether he was supposed to be or not.

"Here, Matsuda," L said taking the cell phone away from his ear and handing it back to its owner. Matsuda looked like he wanted to laugh at Riku's comment, but he thought better of it. "Is there something funny, Matsuda?" L questioned staring at Matsuda.

"Nothing," Matsuda denied all claims to laughing. L knew what was so funny, and could tell that the others wanted to laugh, too. He sighed.

"If you must laugh, please do," the detective said turning his attention back to the screen. None of the members laughed, but all wanted to. It was that funny that L had a daughter, much less someone like Riku.

"What'd your father want?" Raito whispered his question to Kari. She sighed getting in her seat and making herself comfortable.

"He wanted to know how my 'date' was going, seeing as you're at least five years older than me," Kari explained, making her dad's eye twitch. He forgot about the fact that Raito was older than her by quite a bit. One more thing to add to his list of frustrations.

Raito nodded, satisfied with her answer as the movie was ending. The lights came on, and everyone started filing out. Raito led her outside and was about to go on his separate way, when she tugged on his sleeve.

"Um, could you walk me home, or at least to my street? I'm kind of scared seeing as it's really late," Kari explained why she tugged his sleeve. Raito didn't really want to walk her home. He knew that she was planning on testing him somehow, and if that was true, he should play along, right?

"Ryuuzaki, this is where the plan comes together, right?" Mr. Yagami asked looking over at the detective. L nodded his head, not taking his eyes away from the screen. Everyone started really paying attention now. Before, they were watching to see if anything interesting came up, but here the plan was in action, or to be in action.

Kari and Raito were walking along the sidewalk, not really saying much. It was around 9:00, so not many people were on the streets. It wasn't particularly cold, but there was a breeze. Houses came and went without much notice as the two carried on. Riku knew she had to continue on with what she originally set out to do. Kari shivered under the cold winds.

"Are you cold?" Raito asked with concern turning to face her. Kari looked up and colored slightly at his concern for her.

"No, I'm fine!" Kari began, "What did you think of the movie?" Raito paid little attention to the movie, but knew enough about it anyway.

"I thought that the girl was stupid for letting her be tricked by him for so long," Raito told her his thoughts. Kari looked astonished at his response. Riku totally agreed that the girl was indeed stupid.

"How can you say that?!" Kari nearly flipped out at the genius, "she was in love, Raito, nothing has to make sense when you're in love. The one who was stupid was the murderer for tricking her. He reminds me of that new criminal they call Kira." Raito suddenly became interested in what the girl was saying. Kira? Why would she mention him, unless…

"What about Kira?" Raito pressed on, testing waters. Bingo, fish, line, and sinker, Raito had fell for the bait.

"Kira is a cruel killer. He hides behind a mask and passes judgment over all these people without a second thought. He's heartless." Heartless? Raito almost laughed. The thought of him being heartless was laughable. He was changing the world for the better. Couldn't a little girl see that?

"I don't think Kira is _that_ cruel. He does what he thinks is right with what he's got. Kira is making the world a better place by ridding it of criminals, or at least that's what he thinks he's doing. Whether he's doing the right thing or not is up to the police to decide. And they decided he's a threat, which makes perfect sense. A person with the power to kill could turn on society," Raito continued on talking, feeding what L wanted to hear. He doubted L knew that he knew that Kari was not some innocent girl. Kari looked at him with confusions written all over her face.

"Whose side are you on? You make it seem like neither is right and both are wrong," Kari explained what she was thinking. Raito looked over at her.

"Kira should be tracked down, and to track him down, you have to think like a criminal, don't you?" Kari rolled over the sentence in her mind. After taking a few more steps, she agreed.

"To catch a mouse you must think like a mouse, right?" Kari concluded.

"Isn't it a rat and not a mouse?" Raito questioned what she said. Kari shrugged laughing. She finally seemed to lose her conservativeness and open up a little, which Raito thought was good.

"Who knows? The original version could have been a mouse and people could have changed it. You never know anything anymore," Kari laughed a little more, acting more and more like Riku. She didn't know when she started being more outgoing, but it seemed natural enough.

"Where's your house?" Raito asked realizing they've been walking for a while. Kari seemed to just realize they were walking her home.

"Oh, it's right down the road, actually. Okay, bye Raito, see you some other time!" Kari yelled breaking into a small jog heading home. After a few steps, she turned and waved. Raito waved back and turned, heading home as well.

Riku's phone vibrated as she walked to no where. Her home was actually five blocks away, but she didn't care. Riku answered the phone quickly, not really caring who it was.

"Nice job," L complimented her, "would you need a ride home?" Riku looked around her. The winds were dying down, and the streetlights were on. Everything seemed to be going to sleep, and it was so peaceful. It would have been a crime only Kira could commit to ruin moments like this.

"I'll be fine walking home, thank you, though!" Riku responded hanging up her phone. Riku walked the rest of the way smiling happily. When she gets home, it'll be late, but they'll stay up for a while analyzing what they did or did not learn. She wanted to enjoy the bliss, even if it only lasts for a short while. "To think, not too long ago I didn't have a dad and wouldn't be walking home to him like this."

**Eh, I know I ended it poorly, but if I didn't end it there, it would have gone on for a lot longer than I want it to. And besides, like I said earlier, most of it was erased so I had to re-write it, which took a while. So, just give me what feedback you an in a review, ****kk****? THANK YOU!!**

**C ya l8r!**


	8. Learning about Life

**It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to get done in this chapter, and I realized it's going to be a very la-di-dah chapter, prepping for later ones. Not a whole lot will happen, so forgive me. Or I could totally change my mind. Depends.**** On a random note****, I ****tore a hole in my favorite pair of fluffy socks. So sad.**

**Disclaimer:**** I own Death Note about as much as I own the air I breathe, which I don't own. **** I don't think you can own air. I supposed if I bottled it I might own it…nah!**

**All in the Past**

"What do we know?" Mr. Yagami asked, getting everyone to pile their thoughts together. It was going to be thinking time from now until dawn rose. Every person in the room, L, Riku, Soichiro Yagami, Matsuda, Mogi, Aizawa, Ide, and Ukita all decided to put their heads together and see if they could come up with any conclusions. (a/n **READ THIS!! **The reason why Aizawa, Ukita, and Ide are still there is because I'm skipping over Misa. Ukita was that poor guy that ran to Sakura TV station and got killed by Misa, remember him? Ide and Aizawa left shortly after that am I correct in saying that? I researched up on that and got no results and I don't feel like searching thru episodes, so they left after Misa, who does not exist, so they are here.)

"Well, are we stating facts we can come up with?" Riku thought she should ask, since no one said anything, "or are we saying our thought processes?"

"We are stating facts, and then explaining with our thought processes, okay?" L told the girl that was sitting next to him. L was at the head of the table, and all officers around it. Riku was sitting at the corner of the table in her own chair. Riku was special. Needless to say, she felt small with all these men around here. They were very intimidating. Riku nodded to L's response to her question and tried to come up with facts about Kira/Raito.

"Both are smart and childish and hate to lose, that has been confirmed," L stated, giving a foundation for everyone to build up on. Again, silence as everyone thought about everything they knew.

"Kira is somewhere in Japan," Matsuda spoke up. Everyone nodded committing all these facts to memory.

"Would my getting him talking to 'Ryuk' and the fact that Kira mentioned a Shinigami and that Raito felt the need to come respond to see Hanabi mean anything?" Riku wondered aloud. She knew it meant something, but she wasn't exactly sure. And she wanted confirmation to her theory.

"Are you suggesting that this has anything to do with Shinigami?" Aizawa questioned. Riku glared at him in such a childish way, it almost made L laugh. Almost.

"You can't keep close-minded about things like this. When a person is killing people without using any normal means or means you are familiar with, everything becomes a possibility. Adults lose that when they grow up, so I don't expect you to understand, but as a child anything is possible." Everyone except L stared at the girl who spoke so sharp and quickly and said exactly what was on her mind, and then at the person who was shot down by a little kid. Aizawa was going to shoot back a response, but thought better of it and stayed quiet.

"Riku does have a point; we have to be open to every possibility. I'm not saying I believe this Shinigami theory, but it is a possibility we have to consider," L agreed. And now back to the silence. And more silence for about a good five minutes.

"Who do we have as suspects? We have everyone in Yagami's household and in the Deputy's and no one else because the person had access to secret police information, right?" Ukita spoke up. (a/n he's going to be like a quieter version of Matsuda, always asking questions part of Matsuda, because I don't know much about him. So, forgive me.)

"Yes, that is all we have as suspects, why?" L concluded and asked to keep the conversation going. 8 pairs of eyes stared at Ukita. He fumbled nervously, but regained his thoughts.

"Our highest suspect is the Chief's son, sorry, but it's Raito Yagami, and are we trying to prove him as Kira or innocent?" L pondered. Surely, S. Yagami was trying to prove his son innocent, but what was L doing? Was he trying to prove him as Kira or innocent? He was trying to prove Raito as Kira, yes because Raito seems the most likely to be Kira in either household. He has the intelligence and attitude that Kira has.

"We are not trying to prove Raito of anything. We are trying to find Kira, the serial killer, who may or may not be Raito Yagami," L said trying to mean it as neutral. If L leaned towards any person, the whole force would lean there as well. And that would be bad. Their thought would be geared toward that on person.

So far, Riku had been watching this conversation, but decided to put input into it, instead of being a bystander. She hated bystanders. They were the people who watched a lone cat starving without helping it. Most bystanders were adults; a kid would try to help the cat, an adult would ignore it. Riku knows as she's seen it before.

"I mean this in no disrespect to Mr. Yagami, but I am trying to prove Raito as Kira. I have many reasons to believe that he is Kira," Riku spoke looking at Mr. Yagami sympathetically when she said his name. He nodded, saying he recognized what she was saying.

"What are your reasons?" Ide asked. Riku looked at him and sighed. There was a long list of things she could say. It could take a while. She didn't really tell them, but L could conjecture that she had been with them far longer than just meeting L on that one day. Riku had been following their progress; she learned how to hack into their systems and followed along. So she knew everything they did, whether they knew it or not.

"Okay, first and foremost reason; Raito is a teenager who still has beliefs like a child. The belief that criminals are bad and should be punished is a childish belief; I should know, I share it. He also has a strong sense of justice. I jumped in front of a car, and he saved me. These are two things that Kira has, are they not? We think Kira is doing this because he thinks it is just and right," Riku paused for a bit letting everyone digest what she said. It was very risky of her to do half the things she has done, but she didn't care. Riku would die if it meant finding Kira. No risk was too great if it meant results. And so far, she'd lived to tell the tale.

"Raito is a genius, his grades show that, and that time when L tested him at a coffee shop." L didn't bother to ask how she knew he tested Raito at a coffee shop. "Raito proved that he had excellent reasoning and deductive skills, and could think quickly. I also tested this disguised as Hanabi. Like Kira, Raito took a situation and made it better for himself. I had cornered Raito with questions and evidence that he could not deny, so he said he didn't know what I was talking about. I could clearly see that he was lying, but his word ruled over mine since I had no proof.

"Next, on my 'date' with Raito, which you all witnessed, I asked him about his view on Kira. He said that Kira thinks what he's doing is just, which agrees with what L and I said. Anyway, his behavior was also…observative. He was trying to learn about me through my habits. I'm not saying that he's 'weird' or anything," Riku used air quotes when she said weird and continued, "but he's quick to learn and very cunning, a quality I would associate with Kira. Anything else you'd like to know about my 'Raito is Kira Thesis?"

Nobody really moved. L had been staring at his daughter as she finished her speech looking up at him with a questioning glance. No one knew what to say. With so much against a person, what is there to put for him? What could make Raito Yagami innocent of being Kira? (a/n nothing because he really is Kira!!! HAHAHA!!! Lol, continue)

"If you're so set on my son being Kira, then how? How does he kill a person!?" Mr. Yagami questioned. His voice started rising at the end of what he said, but he kept it in check. To know your son was under suspicion must be horrible for a father to go through. L wouldn't know what to do if Riku was under suspicion of being Kira, he'd probably go insane.

"My theories I already discussed with you, but if you would like me to repeat them I will. My theory is two or the two themselves combined. He has some kind of writing system, what he uses to write or what to write on I don't know, but he needs to write the person's name and/or sketch the face. Either that, or he has tells a Shinigami what the person looks like and their name and the Shinigami kills the person without their notice. If you combine the two, I believe a Shinigami gave Kira a tool in which he then uses to kill people. Maybe it's a special pen, or paper. I don't know, I'm not Kira," Riku concluded, taking out a piece of gum to chew on. Everyone paused again to digest everything that's been said.

"Where do we go from here?" Ide questioned everyone, but no one had an answer. All that greeted him was silence. In this silence, all looked towards L, who always seemed to have a plan. L sighed. Must he always come up with a plan? The answer was yes, or to make his daughter do it, which he really didn't feel like. Riku already been too involved, he didn't want her to be anymore.

"This is when we wait for Raito and get his input on the case, and see if it matches with what Riku and I think. We can't let him know that we still suspect him. Or of Riku, you must stay hidden at all times when he is here. Got that?" L told his daughter who was pouting. He didn't mean it in a mean way, but he must have offended her somehow; her next comment told him of that.

"What makes you think I'd listen to you?" Riku shot back. A fight was coming on. Their first fight, actually, and the entire task force wanted to know how it'd end. L vs. his Daughter. Or Riku vs. her Dad. Or L vs. Riku. Or the most favorable one, Dad vs. Daughter. Who will win?

L didn't know how to respond for two reasons. The first one is that no one has really disobeyed him before. They recognized that he knew best and listened to him. The second reason being that this was his daughter. He couldn't be mean to her, but he couldn't let her get away with this, but how to tell her that? L decided to test things out.

Riku did this not because she was really rebelling. She thought this would be a good a time as any to test her father on what it takes to be a father. Riku doesn't care whether or not he knows he's testing him, she just wants results. L seemed to figure out what to say so Riku came back to Earth from her head above the clouds.

"I am your father. That is why I think you should listen to me," L told his daughter in a monotone voice. Riku looked hurt, but only slightly.

"You've only been my father for what? A week? Don't assume you have complete control over me because of that. I respect you as a great detective and as an elder. I call you my dad in hopes you will fill that position, but don't abuse your post like you've been there forever because you haven't," Riku finished getting out of her chair to leave. As she walked away she popped her bubble loudly, waking all the men watching the dispute. Apparently Riku had won.

"You should go talk to her, Ryuuzaki," Mr. Yagami said to the confused father. Vaguely he nodded. What a funny sight it was. L was confused, not because of a case, but because of his daughter. Seeing him confused at all was a rare thing, but the members of the Kira investigation knew that this would be the first of many times that he would be confused.

L walked to his daughter's door. He put his ear against it, hoping to hear something. He heard nothing, so he knocked. No response. L paused and put his hand to the door, about to knock again when it was opened. Black eyes stared at him through the dark behind her.

"May I come in?" L asked the girl in front of him. She nodded. Riku turned on the light she hadn't bothered to before and sat down on her bed. L followed sitting with his legs up. Riku had her legs crossed. Both had nothing to say. Silence prevailed throughout the room like quick silver on a plate. The only light came from an electric lamp as it was at least 1:00 a.m.

Riku had miscalculated something when she planned what to say. She didn't include her emotions in the plan. She thought what she said was just for show, but when she went into her room, it was how she really felt. Riku loved her new father, but he could never replace or take back the memory of her mom, Minna. Though Riku only knew her mom from pictures and her diary, memories came back to her every once in a while.

"What are you thinking about?" L asked looking at the floor. A small tuft had caught his attention and he was desperately staring at it, not wanting to make eye contact. Riku's response took him off guard, though.

"Mom," Riku replied. L turned to face Riku. Mom? That referred to Minna, didn't it? Come to think of it, if Riku was thirteen and Minna died ten years ago, Riku only had a mom for three years. Three years she probably doesn't remember a whole lot. Riku also never had a father. L wanted to know what her childhood was like. L never had any parents, but he didn't care much either. He grew up at the Whammy House where everyone was family, but who was hers? L settled on asking her, it was worth the risk.

"What was your childhood like?" L wondered a loud, hoping he'd get an answer. Not the best tactic, but it seemed to work out as Riku opened her mouth in response.

"I don't remember much after my mom died," the words stung L as she said them so easily; "I was moved to my aunt and uncle's house. I tried to be a good child for them, but I was too smart and too analytical. When I corrected them, they would get angry with me. I remember crying a lot, and pain. I don't remember what kind of pain, but it always hurt. Soon enough I was taken to a different house with just an aunt. She was kind to me, like my mom, but she grew old quickly and couldn't take care of me, so I was moved again.

"Eventually, I had saved up enough money at age 12, from odd and end jobs, to start my search. My search to find my father. I read my mom's diary to find out about you. I had your picture, and hoped somewhere I would find you. I found jobs wherever I went and followed every rumor about where 'L' might be. I lived by myself and found jobs and food by myself. I also went to school, so it was hard, but I did my best, and I saw you one day. I wasn't positive it was you, but I chanced it. You were entering a hotel. The next day I came again, a little earlier, and I truly saw you. I was so happy. I wanted to run up to you and tell you that I was your daughter, but that might scare you and I wasn't ready.

"I saw that you went to college, and followed you there. I couldn't come into class with you, but when you left I was there, I came from school early to see you. Soon enough I mustered up my courage to tell you who I was and here we are. Sitting in the room I can call my own, with my dad who I haven't even known until last week," Riku summed up laughing a little. L was appalled at all that this one girl had gone through. Riku could have walked through a hurricane for all it mattered. For once, L didn't listen to what his brain said.

L hugged her. Riku blinked. Yes, he hugged her before, but this one seemed different. More like a father holding his daughter after a long journey home. More like a hug where the person in a show would start crying into their chest, tears of happiness. More like one of those sappy shows with a fairy tale ending and everyone ends up happy.

"Thanks, dad," Riku whispered, finally hugging her dad back. The first time in her life Riku had opened up her feelings to someone. She never had any friends to do this with, and her mother had died so soon, and her aunts and uncles would never understand, and her dad? Her dad was right there hugging her at the moment. Riku wished it wouldn't end but Kira was still out there wasn't he? And he needed to be caught, at all costs.

"Feel better?" L inquired. Riku wanted to cry like all of those sappy shows she watched as a child, but no, she would be strong. Slowly, she could let all her worries out because if she let too many out it may crush her dad. She wouldn't want that. Riku nodded remembering his question. L smiled.

"Y'know we still need to catch Kira," Riku told her father. L thought about the words in his head before slowly shaking his head. Riku was confused at his action.

"For right now, you need to sleep, okay?" Riku pouted.

"Why should I?" Riku fired back. She didn't want to be left out of the conversation. L looked at her and smiled. L picked her up and carried her not giving her a response. "Hey, put me down!" Riku squirmed in her dad's arms. L had a tight grip, though, and she wasn't getting out of it anytime soon.

"Okay," L plopped his daughter on her bed and tucked her in. Riku knew she was beat. All L had to do was say one word and he won. This means L had gotten the status of a father in Riku's mind.

"Not bad, dad, not bad," Riku whispered into her pillow as L shut off the lights. The warmth of the blanket slowly took Riku into a deep slumber.

"How'd it go?" Matsuda asked. L took his place at the table. The group looked at him for a response to Matsuda's question. The world seemed to stop in wait.

"I really need to work on being a father," L said making the group laugh a little. L sighed and left to get some sugar, leaving the men to laugh. He knew they were laughing because well, he's L. L being a father was funny, no matter how you look at it. But to L, it was a challenge of a lifetime, to try to become the perfect father; that was his goal.

**Yeaahh, didn't plan the whole learning about Riku's past thing. I had it planned out beforehand because I'm like that, but I didn't plan on including it. You can ask questions if need be, some things probably need to be cleared up, I can tell. Everything makes sense in my mind, but it's hard to write it down. Please Review! PLEASE! Thank you!**

**C ya l8r!**


	9. Hidden Cinderella

**Eheh, I should probably be studying for those all important finals, but I **_**really**_** don't want to. I'm having a massive study session with all these smart people in my classes at my house on Monday because I can. So I have a plan. For at least five hours I'll be studying. Fuuun, NOT. So until then, I'm slacking off. Eheh, on with it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Not a good brain that can instantly remember anything so I can pass all my finals, nor any Death Note characters, just Riku and Minna both of whom I love dearly.**

**All in the Past**

L pulled an all-nighter with the rest of the investigators. It was early morning, and L woke with the dawn. They came up with nothing new. Most investigating had been done, they decided, so now a plan needed to be put into action. But what? And how far could they push all these theories? If they pushed too many and were wrong, then it would give Kira the upper hand. But if they pushed and were right, Kira would be in big trouble.

So far the biggest suspect, as all the readers know, is Raito Yagami; the Chief's son. He was actually coming the next day as he had college today. It was Saturday tomorrow so Riku needed to go to school for a half day (a/n not entirely sure if that's true, but for right now it is. Deal with it. Lol, jk.). Raito was coming later that Saturday, if he wanted. And that was probably more than likely. L was waiting for him. He wanted to know what Raito would think of Riku's theories. Although, they'd have to tell him that they're L's since to Raito, Riku doesn't exist.

Raito was currently waking up. Today, he was going to see L as L, and not Ryuga. Raito was going to see where L lived, which may or may not tell him anything new. He ate breakfast and went to school, like normal. Classes got out early that day, seeing as it was Saturday. Time flew by out the window Raito stared through, barely paying a moment's notice to what was going on in class. Soon enough, school was over for the day, and Raito waited outside by the bench for Ryuga to come.

He needn't wait too long for Ryuga came soon enough. Raito glanced over at the detective, waiting to see him notice him. L did and came over.

"Good day, Raito," L greeted. Raito nodded back, and readied his response.

"Ryuga, no L, I'd like to take you up on your offer of being a member. Is today fine?" Raito asked. L seemed to think about it for a moment. 'What does he need to think about?' Raito questioned in his mind. 'What is he thinking about?'

"Okay, Raito let me call Watari. Please hold on." Raito nodded. L took out his cell phone and held it between two of his fingers. Raito thought it was odd how he held the phone, but it was L. Nothing was normal about him. "Watari? Raito is coming. Yes, please do. Thank you," Raito heard L say from where he was.

L and Raito waited a minute in silence for Watari to come. Watari was very fast and efficient; he was there in less than five minutes. L and Raito entered the car, and silence prevailed again. (a/n it's silent a lot in this book. People think too much, they need to live more.)

L worried about one thing; what about Riku? She wasn't home yet, and L couldn't very well send her away. That is not something a father would do, L is sure of that. An older adult, maybe would do that, but most certainly not a father. Unless they were on drugs or had mental problems, but L wasn't. L was a good father, or at least trying to be.

Riku was going to be home soon. L's head was racing with plans, but none worked out. He couldn't communicate with Riku at the moment. Riku was smart, though. Maybe she'd figure a way to get there without Raito noticing. Usually, L had a plan, but since his daughter showed up, he hasn't been able to concentrate on much. Is that a bad thing? Probably.

L and Raito went upstairs and to the apartment L lived in. They sat down and made themselves comfortable, until L got up remembering something. Raito wondered, but did not question. After a while, L came back with a pile of things in his arms. Raito stared at the pile. 'He doesn't expect me to… no way,' Raito thought in disbelief.

"This is all we've collected thus far. I would like you to watch and/or read this and see if you can come up with anything." Raito visibly twitched. There was a _ton_ of stuff to go through. Raito wondered how L could possibly expect him to look through all of it. "Too hard for you?" L asked in mock amusement. Raito kept calm, knowing that a challenge had been issued.

"Not at all, leave it to me," Raito pronounced taking the first paper about a killing Kira did. Raito already knew all of this, seeing as he was Kira, and basically skimmed through it. L knew he was going to read, simply because he won't back down once a challenge was issued. _That_ is a fact. That fact has been proven and stored in L's brain. It was one of the main reasons that Raito could be Kira, and the one most disagreed with him on. Most people saw Raito as the hard-working college boy, but L knew better.

As Raito was going through everything, L wanted to come up with a plan to get Riku in without Raito's noticing. He thought for a minute, before an idea came. Thinking rapidly, he called for Watari. Raito heard L ask for a cell phone, and Watari complied.

Raito was curious, but that curiosity could very well heighten his suspicion of being Kira. And that is bad. Still, Raito wanted to know who L was calling. It's not everyday L calls people. And Raito doubts it's an old friend of his that L's just calling to say "hi".

"Is the investigation team coming today?" the teen asked from where he was sitting at the table in the middle of the floor. Papers among papers of info about Kira were scattered around him in circle. Not the best place to be sitting, but it could be worse. The detective had just gotten off the phone, so Raito decided to ask him.

"Yes, they are coming," L answered not taking a look at Raito. Raito was skeptical about this. If L did suspect him of being Kira, wouldn't he watch his every move, watch to see his reaction to information? Not unless he was planning something with that call. Maybe it had something to do with the investigation team, or maybe with Hanabi. Raito didn't know, and it didn't seem like he'd ever get an answer, but he did decide on something. He had to more careful now.

Raito had been skimming through information for at least an hour now. Everything seemed to match up with what he suspected they knew. They did not know about the Death Note or Ryuk, so Hanabi hadn't told them, or they were hiding it. They didn't have any information on how Kira kills people, as they seem much more interested in _what_ he can do as opposed to _how_ he can do it. They pretty much know everything that he does about it; except for things that have to do with Shinigami. Such as the eyes, they had no knowledge about them.

Raito's thought were interrupted when the door opened and the investigation team came in. Everyone was there, all 6 of them. Raito wanted to greet them, but thought better of it and continued reading through a paper held in his hand about one of Kira's earlier killings. He preoccupied himself with that for right now, anyway.

L looked over at Raito as the investigation team came in. Checking to make sure Raito was engrossed in his work, he went over to the force. Behind them, hidden, was Riku who was sneaking in. L had called the team to call Riku and explained the plan to them at that time. Carefully, Riku snuck up behind L, who walked away, hiding her. He left to go to her room, keeping an eye out for Raito, who never checked or suspected anything. Quietly, Riku slipped in and onto her bed. L waved goodbye, shutting the door.

Riku sat there, she had nothing to do. She couldn't turn on the TV even if she wanted to because someone, Raito, might hear her. And that would be bad, according to L. Riku knew why it was bad, but she really wanted to help, and she couldn't do it stuck up in her stuffy room!! Riku wanted to see Raito, and see his reactions. She pouted for a while until she thought of a plan that she could put into action later. L may not like it, but as a teen and a girl, she did not care. Besides, L wouldn't have to know.

L had a nagging feeling with him since he left Riku. She was bound to do something, but what? She isn't stupid enough to actually leave the room. Therefore, she must be planning something. L would just have to wait and see what she has in mind. Whether he'll like it or not, he doesn't know.

Raito had finished going through all the information at around 8:00. When he was done and looked around, he noticed that the investigation team left. He didn't remember them leaving, but it must have been recently because L was where he has been; sitting at the table. Raito had not eaten anything, and he didn't want to eat sweets like he could guess L was doing at that moment. But how to ask the detective?

"Raito, we have a kitchen. Please feel free to use it," L chimed in Raito's thoughts. Raito would ask him how he knew he was hungry, but decided not to. There are some things Raito will never know; and that is one of them. Another would be what it's like to be stupid, and Raito doesn't even want to know that feeling.

He was startled when he came into the kitchen. It wasn't because sweets were littered over the counters and cabinets. Nor was it the fact that it was very clean, which Raito wouldn't have guessed. It was at the fact of the person sitting on the clean counters eating the sweets that surprised him the most. There she was again, with her mask. She wore a Cinderella dress with white gloves today, and her fiery red hair was as vibrant as ever. Hanabi was here. (a/n HA!! Bet you didn't see that coming. I didn't either until I decided I wanted him to go into the kitchen.)

"Hi Kira!" Hanabi greeted cheerfully between a mouthful of sweets. Raito wanted to scream at the kid for saying something like that for two reasons. One reason is because she was taunting him. The second is because she was talking about Kira, both a murderer and a God, in such a happy tone in a Cinderella dress. It just seems like that should never happen, but it did.

"Why does everyone insist that I am Kira when I'm not?" Raito complained. Hanabi giggled. She was currently eating a slice of strawberry shortcake, with her legs crossed, so it was an odd sight. C'mon, you know you want to imagine a small girl in a Cinderella dress sitting on a counter eating strawberry cake, It's quite amusing.

"'Cause you are Kira, silly! I just have to prove it," Hanabi acted playfully at first, but her tone darkened as the sentence wore on. That's one thing Raito could not stand about her; she changed from an innocent child to a girl that could kill with looks in a heartbeat. And a heartbeat is all it could be before her beat stops in a heart attack.

"Are you working with L?" Raito conjectured. If she's here, she must be working with or for L. It's a conclusion anyone would make knowing her and him. Hanabi finished off the last strawberry on the cake as she thought for a moment. It wasn't a hard question, so why was she taking so long?

"No, Hanabi's never met with L, nor talked to him. I'm here secretly," Hanabi told Raito putting the fork to her lips. Raito was taken aback by her sudden confession. She _wasn't_ working with L? Then what was she doing? Was she here to steal from him? Or was she here tracking Raito himself? Both are plausible, but her tracking Raito seems much more likely. Then again, how is Raito supposed to trust her word? Hanabi finished the cake as Raito thought. Footsteps were coming; L's. Hanabi put the plate on the counter and then jumped behind it.

"Sh, Hanabi's hiding," the Cinderella girl whispered hiding behind the counter. Raito blinked but did not say a thing. He didn't know how he should really respond to such a thing. L entered the kitchen and saw Raito not eating anything and wondered why. Raito's head was racing with things to say; but he wasn't going to say anything about Hanabi. The less L knew the better Raito figured.

"Did you not come here to get food?" L asked examining Raito with his thumb at his mouth. Raito knew L had weird habits, and this was one he would never get used to.

"There is nothing here but sweets, Ryuuzaki," Raito complained, "I'm a teenager; I can't just eat sweets." L nodded at this. He made his way over to the fridge. He looked around a bit before coming out with an apple. Raito wanted to know why he chose an apple, of all things. Then it came to him, it must have something to do with that code he out into the letters. The "L do you know Gods of Death love apples?" thing that he used to throw them off.

"Would you like an apple?" L inquired, showing Raito the apple. Raito, without response, took the apple and began eating it. L looked over at the counter and saw the empty plate of cake that Hanabi had eaten. "Did Raito eat anything else?" Raito didn't really know how to respond. L was sure to know that he wouldn't leave a plate there. Raito couldn't cover up for Hanabi by saying that he ate it; he just told L that he didn't like sweets. L seemed to have come up with his own answer, though.

"Must have been Matsuda," L mused ignoring the plate and going to sit back down at the table. Raito sighed and was going to follow, when he heard Hanabi from behind the counter.

"Psst! Psst! Kira! You're a horrible actor; you should have your lines memorized better! Or make better lines!" Hanabi whispered taunting Raito. Ooh, if she wanted to provoke him, she was doing a great job of it. Raito officially hated her. She was sharp, quick-witted, and arrogant. Why did he ever think that she and Kari was the same person? The only thing they had in common was their playfulness, and even there they were different. Kari was very light, but Hanabi's playfulness was sharp and taunting.

"Ryuuzaki, mind if I go home for today? I'd like some time to think about the information I was given," Raito asked entering the room. L looked up from the couch where he was eating a lollipop. Raito made a mental not never to eat lollipops again. L seemed to be examining Raito for some reason or another, but what the reason was or how much he was getting Raito didn't know.

"Of course, Raito." Raito nodded his goodbye and left. He really didn't want to go home to think about the information he already knew, no Raito had a different reason. He was planning a diabolical plan to learn more about Hanabi. Raito doubted what she said about not working with L was true, but he was less sure of his Kari Hanabi theory. They seemed to be totally different. It was that or she was a really good actress. He could tell that either way Hanabi wasn't her real name. He decided he would write a letter to her, just to see what her response would be.

"Hyuk, Raito looks like he has something good going on," Ryuk commented later that night as Raito was setting up for his plan. Normally, Ryuk would irritate Raito, but today he didn't bother him at all. He had a plan that he needed to put into action.

"Yes, Ryuk, I have a plan. One that will bring me closer to a perfect world without L or Hanabi. Do you know the saying, 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,' Ryuk?" Raito interrogated turning around in his chair with a smirk plastered on his face. Ryuk just started laughing at Raito's comment. He knew that humans could be fun, but this Raito was someone else.

After Raito left, Riku slipped back into her room unnoticed. It was one of her special talents to be silent. She was deadly in dodge ball. No one ever saw the ball coming at them before it was in their face. That's how she was going to play with Raito. Make a hidden plan, and then unleash it before he knew what was coming. The only problem with that was that she needed to get close to him. She knew Raito would never fully trust her; and she'd never fully trust him. Well, not until Kira was caught anyway.

Riku sat in her room, trying to think of a way to get close to Raito. Yes, she was close to him as Kari, but that wasn't enough. She needed to be Hanabi around Raito. As much as Riku loved being Kari, she was basically useless. There wasn't a whole lot Kari could do. But as Hanabi, she and Raito could try to work together to catch Kira, and Hanabi could analyze him. Riku thought about the saying L had ore than likely used when he asked Raito to join them.

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer," Riku whispered into the night as sleep was starting to overtake her. Riku could fail in getting close to Raito, and L could end up hating her for trying something stupid by herself, but it was something that Riku knew that she had to do.

**Nope, I didn't see that coming. Where is she getting all these dresses you ask? It's a secret! Haha! Use your imagination, you have a brain, don't you? I hope you do because if you didn't you wouldn't be able to read my story, and that would make me sad. I do have the part planned out, but I have finals tomorrow… AHH!! I HAVE FINALS TOMORROW!!! CRUD!! I gtg, but leave me a review as a present, please? PLEASE?**


	10. Twists and Turns

**I have no more hard finals, but by the end of this finals will be done most likely. I have nothing else I really want to say, so enjoy!!**** It also seems as though this will be a long chapter…**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I'd re-write the entire thing so somehow it had a happy ending with L alive and Raito not a jerk that killed him! Although, we all know (sadly) that could never happen, as much as we all wish for it.**

**All in the Past**

Riku thought for a while in her room in solitude. She predicted that Raito/Kira would try to do something. It was her plan to get close to him. Provoke him to get close to her. Riku thought it should go well, but it's already Tuesday evening, and he still hasn't made a move. Riku wants to know what L is planning because he usually has something. Riku also wondered if she needs to tell him.

So many questions swirl in Riku's head. As she stares out the window, all the thoughts seem to fly out to the sky. Maybe is she could fly, things would be easier. No, she can't think like that, she has to be realistic. Kira/Raito may not respond to her, so what then? She hadn't thought about that; she assumed he would.

It was as Riku stared at ceiling that it dawned on her, that she had overlooked something. How why Raito/Kira supposed to contact her? It's not like he would deliver it to this room or to her apartment because that would raise her suspicion of Raito being Kira. Riku had to give him a window to fly through, and keep it unlocked, too. It wouldn't work if she kept it locked. Riku realized, with a sigh, she'd need her dad's help for her plan. She sighed once more, and glanced through her window before leaving the room. Through that window, out in Japan, through another window in different room, someone else realized her mistake.

"Dammit! How am I supposed to get to her if she doesn't give me a way?!" Raito hissed staring at his desk on a Tuesday night, much like Riku did. Except, he was distraught. Since he left that day, he had been planning a way to get close to Riku. It was a very good plan, too, but fate played a mean trick on him. He had no way to put it into action. Raito had no way to be Kira and contact Hanabi. She just never gave him one.

"Raito, all that planning you did has gone to waste, hasn't it?" Ryuk taunted from where he was sitting on Raito's bed. Raito was very annoyed, but instead of getting angry, he went downstairs to retrieve an apple for Ryuk. If he gave the Shinigami an apple, maybe he'd be quiet for a bit so he could think.

As he went downstairs, he saw Sayu sitting on the couch, probably done with homework seeing as it was late, watching TV. Raito went to the kitchen and grabbed an apple. He was about to head upstairs, when he heard the TV talk about a new police response to the Kira case.

"The police involved in the Kira case would like to make an announcement," the lady announced. Raito came back down the stairs to continue watching the broadcast. Sayu didn't notice Raito was there as she was too absorbed into the TV. The screen changed and an H appeared. 'Hanabi!' Raito thought in surprise. Apparently, she realized he had no way to contact her as well. That could only mean she was expecting Kira to come after her.

"Hey, Kira," Hanabi greeted, and her voice wasn't even masked, she was confident. It was naturally distorted so no one could recognize it, unless they paid close attention. "I bet you're wondering who this could be, right? I'm onto you Kira, and I know we need to meet. I know what you can do and how. I'm not bluffing, I sent you a letter and you answered it remember? I don't care if the whole world is listening to what I say because they should hear it. They have a right to know what they're up against; a killer. I will meet you, somehow. Post something on TV, send a letter, do whatever it takes to find me because I will find you first. Good luck."

The broadcast ended like that. The announcer came on, but Raito was already gone. He got to his room, locked the door, and collapsed in his chair. He threw the apple to Ryuk to keep him quiet so he could think. Hanabi was definitely calling him out. She was testing to see how far he would go. Kira would go as far as it takes to find her, whether she knew it or not.

It was then that Raito realized something; he was Kira. He didn't have to have a reason to know things. He could still put his original plan into action, regardless, and now he had something to put against Hanabi, she was smarter than he thought she was, or just truly an idiot.

"Was that what you wanted, Riku?" L asked after the she had done the broadcast. The investigation team had pulled some strings to get it aired so quickly. (a/n actually they got it aired in a couple of hours, she was in her room thinking at like 5 o'clock, and Raito watched the broadcast at like 8 or 9 o'clock. That would be quickly.) They had to because Riku had come to them so determine.

"Yep, I'm sure Kira will get the message and write a letter to me," Riku announced happy. L was confused by her wanting him to send a letter. Why would she send him a letter, when "Kira" doesn't even know who Hanabi is? L knows Kira is not going to fall for something as lame as that, but he will definitely respond. Riku knows what she's doing; she knows that Kira will not let something like that go unheard. So, how will Kira respond? (a/n okay, after here I wrote like, a page or so. Then I went to check my work and that page was HORRIBLE!! I was like, 'what the heck is this crud?!!' So I had to re-write it. It was annoying, but I like this much better.)

"Do you have a plan, Riku?" L inquired of his daughter who paused for a moment before answering. Riku did have a plan, but was it good enough? She was counting on Kira to deny having met her, regardless of him being Kira or not, but where he sent the letter or video to is key. Will it be to where she is right now, or to her old apartment? To her old apartment will heighten Raito's chance of being Kira, but if it's sent to where she is right now, then it will lessen it. Why? Kira would be up to date with everything, no matter how he got the information. And using reverse psychology, if Raito was Kira, just to annoy her and prove to say he wasn't Kira, he'd send it to the one place she wouldn't expect him to, her apartment where Hanabi "lives." Complicated, of course it is.

"Dad, would I be doing this if I didn't have a plan?" Riku responded to her dad after a moment or two of thinking. L nodded knowingly, though he didn't know a thing about her plan.

"Would you mind letting me in on the plan?" L asked in a commanding way. Riku looked at him and pouted, fully aware of the other men in the room watching their entire conversation. Riku wished that they would just leave; they are so annoying after all. The whole team gets in the way as they haven't brought in a worthwhile idea in a long time, unlike Riku who is fresh with ideas. L gathered the most complex information and proved it, and Riku is taking it upon herself to finish it.

Riku made up her mind and leaned in to L and whispered something in his ear. L nodded listening to what she had to say, while the team Riku finds oh so very annoying can only watch in annoyance at her childish antics. Well, they didn't watch in annoyance, they were too composed adults to do that. No, they didn't show it, but they were annoyed. They recognized Riku as a smart girl, but she was a child and did reckless things. Like that letter she sent. And the date with Raito. And the broadcast she just made. Riku stopped whispering after a while, and L looked annoyed. Annoyed like he was talking to a child that wouldn't listen, even though he didn't say a word.

"Riku, will you please get some sleep? If you want to become a good adult, you need to sleep," L concluded after she stopped speaking. Riku, on her part, looked mad at him and pressed her lips together so child-like. Her eyebrows creased and her arms crossed. L gave her a stern look and she gave up and retired to her room.

"Yeah, my insomniac father is telling me to get some sleep," Riku muttered even though her speech prevailed through the silence so that every person in the room could hear it. No one responded to it and Riku went to bed without another word. All eyes turned to L.

"What did she say?" Chief Yagami questioned. L looked even more annoyed at the question.

"Truthfully, she was asking if she could get an allowance for all that she's been doing. She knows how we get paid, and she wanted to get paid as well. More than likely she wants to use the money to further her ambitions in catching Kira, which I do not like, so I rejected it." L looked up from where he had been staring at a bug crawling on the table to see everyone about to laugh. That was the third time, right? The third time people just wanted to laugh at something concerning him and his newly found daughter. Boy was she troublesome. But whoever said being a father would be an easy task? No one said it would be an easy task.

At the Yagami household, Raito was planning what to put in the letter. The letter was going to be sent to Hanabi. It needed to be short and to the point, without giving too much away. It still needed to be of importance and be imposing. Ryuk had stopped annoying him, for now at least, so Raito could think clearly.

'What to put into the letter…' was all that ran through Raito's mind. He had decided long ago to send it to her current position, regardless of what Hanabi thought of it. If L found the letter, he doubts that Hanabi would let him do anything anyway; she's just too stubborn like that. (a/n I decided right now that this was going to be a long chapter, so woot for the readers!!)

Raito wrote out what he wanted to on a piece of paper, and put it into an envelope to be sent out the next day. Tomorrow, Wednesday, was going to be another big day. It was good he didn't plan anything ahead of time, there was no way he was going to miss this opportunity.

Another day gone in a flash. Raito blinked it seemed and he was heading on his way home. Ryuga wasn't it school that day. It was well enough that he wasn't, but that also means that L might be setting up for something. If Hanabi aired that message, then she got help from the police, and therefore most likely L. Even if they weren't working together L would have to suspect something from a girl sending out a letter talking to a criminal the way that Hanabi did. And if they were working together, then that only caused that much more problems.

Or did it? If L and Hanabi were working together, then if he got one, he could get both. He might be able to convince Hanabi to join his side as well. That isn't likely, but possible. Even if they didn't work together, L would be suspicious, and Raito may use L to get to Hanabi. Either way worked for Raito. If Hanabi was with L, then if he got one of them he got them both. If she wasn't working L, then he could use L to get to Hanabi, or vice-versa. One way or the other, it was going to be interesting.

Instead of going home, Raito came to a park that he liked. Why? In the letter he sent, he said that he would meet her here. Raito, like Hanabi had done, put on a mask and had on a hooded black sweatshirt Sayu had given him last Christmas. Apparently, it was very fashionable. No way would Hanabi recognize him as Raito Yagami. He wrote in the letter that he'd meet her at 4:00, and that she had to be there then. Raito looked at his watch and saw that it was 3:55. The brat was probably coming right at 4 o'clock to piss him off. It seems like something Hanabi would do.

Riku stayed home from school that day. Or that is to say that she wanted to. L wouldn't hear of it and sent her to school that day, pretending that she was a normal girl and not caught up in a crazy scheme.

As soon as Riku was gone to school, L put into action a plan. All night he had thought of this plan, and now he could put it into action. The letter of when Kira wanted to meet came in around 1 o'clock telling L where Kira would be waiting. L had a daring plan. With the investigation team, he set up his plan and set out.

Raito checked his watch again and saw that it said 3:59. He looked up and saw a figure coming towards him. It didn't have red hair. The figure had black hair and was hunched over slightly. L. However, Kira didn't know what L looked like, or wasn't supposed to anyway. Raito had to play along and pretend that he didn't know who L was. L neared enough so Raito could clearly see him. No mistake, it was L. (a/n I planned on Riku meeting with Raito, but when I was writing I was like, "L should do something, he's been kind of blah lately." So I gave him the position of meeting Kira, Yay for L!!)

"Are you 'H?' The one that sent a message on TV challenging me?" Kira questioned the detective. L blinked a couple times before answering. 'Of course,' L thought slowly, 'Kira doesn't know what I look like. So stupid.'

"I am not H. I'm very surprised though, Kira, I thought you'd be smart enough to know what L looks like. It seems as though I am mistaken." L saw Kira's anger seeping from him. Good, the taunting was working. He needed to hold the taunting for a good half-hour, or just hold Kira's attention for that long. It was crucial.

"Ah, so you're L. I just didn't think a man like you would be the great detective L," Kira shot back, with mischievousness laced in his voice. L didn't even need to think twice about this being Kira; it was obvious. It was odd that he seemed so criminal, but it was just an act to hide his real personality. A good trick.

"If you're wondering who H is, I do know who it is, but I will not tell you. You don't need to know," L persisted with his taunting. Kira was just getting annoyed with L. He was stalling for time, but for what? Was Hanabi coming in later, or had L just intercepted the letter before she got to it? Was the task force planning on ambushing him?

"Are you working with whoever H is?" Kira questioned. If L needed to stall for time, he needed to answer the question. L had to think on the question, though. He was working with Hanabi, but what would Hanabi say? Would she say that she was working with L? No, she'd say she was spying on L, so he will play that game as well. There will be three people against one another, or so it will be in Raito's reality.

"No, H is a mystery to me as well. H came to the police yesterday wanting to send something out to Kira. We were skeptical at first, but we let H do it. However, we have not told H that you'd be waiting here for them. They never received the letter." Raito chewed on the words in his mind. He can't trust what L says; he could be making it up, but so far his word was the only source of information that he had.

"How am I supposed to trust that?" Kira asked incredulously. L didn't expect that kind of reaction, but it wasn't unwelcome.

"You don't have to. And since you asked me a question, I will ask you one as well. Why do you want to rid the world of criminals?" Kira didn't even think twice about it.

"Why do I want to rid the world of criminals? Simple. They committed a crime and hurt another person who was innocent. They went against the law. Unless they are dead, justice will not be served. It also serves as a lesson to those who may want to commit crimes in the future that Kira will reign punishment on you. Soon enough, crime will stop altogether. Is that not a good thing?" Kira shot back with a question of his own. L had to respond carefully, anything he says could be used against him.

"Yes, a world without crime is ideal. However I do not think it is possible. As long as there is man, they will continue to do stupid things; that is our nature." Kira almost laughed at this. I stand corrected, he _did_ laugh at this. He laughed loud and clear. L was taken aback at this but made no motion to stop it. He was curious as to why Kira was laughing. People seemed to be laughing a lot recently.

"Yes. Human Stupidity. Humans will forever be stupid, won't they?" Kira asked, as if he were talking about insects on the ground. It was as if he was saying that humans were no smarter than ants; and they probably aren't. Not to the ants anyway.

The rhetorical question hung in there as if suspended by a string containing the answer. If they could cut the string, they might know the answer. Will humans forever be stupid? But, that is not a question to be answered. It was meant to stall. For what? Kira didn't know. L knew, but he wasn't going to say it. This silence turned into a war of who would dare to break it first. A test of will; who was going to cave in first?

"Oi! Kira! L! Hiya!" came a voice from behind L. The voice was immediately recognizable. Only one person would have the nerve to talk to Kira like that. Or L, for that matter. I mean, here were two highly respected/feared people, and she dares to annoy them further?

"Hanabi? What are you doing here?" L inquired oblivious to the fact that Kira didn't know who it was. Kira may not know, but Raito did. There she was, walking to them, today in a Pippi LongStocking style. (a/n if you don't know what Pippi LongStocking looks like, go find out.) The only difference was that on her face she still wore the mask. And her hair was as red as ever.

"Hanabi? H? Oh, so this is the person who sent the message out to me," Kira commented off-handedly. L and Hanabi seemed to be having a showdown; a staring contest. Hanabi won since she was wearing a mask, and decided to answer L's question. Kira was waiting to hear what she had to say, it always surprised him somehow.

"Oh, I'm just here because I felt like taking a walk in the park, " Hanabi said starting to walk around as she talked, walking up to L, "Actually, the investigation team moved from where they usually are; you weren't at to your hotel room, L, and I found a letter from Kira there. It went something like this:

"'H. You seem to know a lot about L. Meet me in the Northern Park at 4 o'clock tomorrow.' This was probably all that you read L, but under a UV light there was another message." L had checked everything about it for a hidden message, but why didn't he check UV? A simple mistake, but it could cost him a lot later.

"Yes," Kira said interrupting, "the message was, 'would you like to help me take down L? With you, it would be easy.'" L paused for a moment. Did Kira really think that Hanabi would join him? No, he must be bluffing, but… Hanabi hadn't stopped moving. And she was moving in a straight line right to Kira.

"Oh, and L, I decided to take him up on that offer," Hanabi said stopping and turning to stand next to Kira. Kira, even under the mask L could tell, was smirking. The two of them as a pair against L. Kira probably doesn't trust Hanabi all that much, but she could still help him. This was either very bad, or very good. There was no way to tell at the current moment, Riku is just too unpredictable. That will probably hurt her later, but L just hopes that he'll be there to help her.

**Wheet. That was long. I really didn't think it'd get to be that long, but apparently it is. A twist? Did you like it? I love twists. I have a few more planned, but they're secrets!! I'll give hints (maybe) to those that review. If they ask the right questions. Ooh, I'm very mean, I know. Hope that enough incentive to review**

**C ya l8r!**


	11. Game Show Time

**Hehe, I'm starting this early so it will get done quicker so people will read it! Yay for the readers! I got 4 reviews in the first day, so I was like, ok I gotta go start the next one. So here I am! **

**Disclaimer: OMG! I don't own Death Note!!! I DON'T OWN IT!!! There, I said it loud and clear… WAHH! I don't own iiit. sob. so sad.**

**All in the Past**

L was in a pickle if he ever was. Riku was more than likely acting and just pretending to be on Kira's side, but that didn't make it any easier on him! Kira could very well just kill her like a criminal would. And that was his daughter! There was also that he doesn't know how to respond to this. L came to the conclusion he should just act how he normally would if Riku wasn't his daughter; which is pretty hard.

"I'm against both of you now?" L asked almost whiningly. He truthfully wasn't looking forward to this, especially since he didn't plan this. Riku was not supposed to come; she was supposed to be safe at home. She wasn't, though. She was here. Right next to Kira and this brings us to our current problem.

"You should go now, L, or should I say Ryuga, currently going to college? Yes, I have an inside source there, my friend actually. He mentioned once a weird looking guy that graduated at the top of his class with Raito Yagami, and was very suspicious about him. I don't blame him, you are suspicious looking," Kira explained. L decided that this wasn't good. For some reason or another, Kira knew who he was. This only helped prove his Raito is Kira theory, but he would have to stop going to college now. If Raito wasn't Kira, this makes too many problems apparent.

"Yes, L," Hanabi began, "Why don't you just leave us? You'll only get in our way." Even though she was acting, it still hurt L to hear these words. It was unusual that words would hurt him, but think of it from his point of view. His daughter is telling him to leave. L doesn't want to leave, but staying here would be a bother to Riku; L was in a dilemma. He was thinking of grounding her for something like that, but she'd probably sneak out anyway, so why bother?

Raito was thinking that this was a perfect opportunity. Not only was L in trouble, but he had a wonderful source of information standing right next to him. Raito couldn't trust everything that she would say, but even if it was a little bit, some truth will leak out. That is the nature of humans, and Hanabi would tease him with some truth. It was bound to happen.

L didn't seem to be leaving, why? Did he not think that they were serious, or what? Raito was pretty sure they had just told him to leave. If he wanted to know what they were saying, he could at least hide and listen on like that, but no he was staying here. Okay then, Raito needed to do something.

Riku wanted to scream at L. Just flip out and scream at him. Why did he come here? SHE was supposed to come here! Not him. And now he's not leaving to let her do what she originally wanted to do. GR! Parents are so frustrating. Actually, adults in general are frustrating. Raito kind of is; seeing as he's Kira and won't admit it. He really should just tell her as it would make things so much easier. Although, other than that, he wasn't as frustrating as she thought he would be.

Riku was pulled from her thoughts when an arm wrapped around her shoulder. Riku was looking at L, and her arm definitely wasn't around her own shoulder, so that leaves one person. Riku didn't know why Raito put his arm around her shoulder, but L left immediately after he did. Must some guy thing. Hanabi shrugged off his arm and Kira turned to face her.

"What do you know about L?" Kira demanded almost immediately. Hanabi was taken aback by his forcefulness. She didn't think he was going to be forceful. She couldn't back down, though. Instead, she decided to tease him a little. Just like Kira knew she would.

"Hm, what do I know about L? I know a lot of things about L… but what would I get in return from you? I'm very interested in this killing power of yours, and have some theories about it. So, here, I'll tell you a theory, and you tell me how close I am. For every theory I present to you, I will answer one yes or no question about L. Is that fair?" Hanabi presented her idea. Kira had to circumspect and decided he didn't really have a choice and was forced to accept it. If he said no, she might not tell him anything. As much as he hated to say it; Hanabi was in control because she could very well care less how much she got from him, but he wanted info from her.

"I agree, so, what is one of your theories?" Kira inquired. He was very curious how close she'd actually come to his power. He was going to answer pretty truthfully. Even if she guessed right, he'd say close, but not close enough. If she was far off, he'd tell her. Why is because that's the type of person who Kira is. Even if she got what he was doing, she'd never stop him. He was Kira after all.

"You use some tool or object to kill people. You do not have a power, but use a tool. You are also a regular human being and not a God," Hanabi proclaimed. Kira almost faltered. She was so close, it was almost scary. However, she hasn't mentioned Ryuk or a notebook, but he has to assume she will say those things later.

"Yes, I do have a tool that I use and I am human, but I do have power," Kira told her. Hanabi smiled. Even under the mask Kira saw the triumphant smile. Kira just told her what she said was true, who wouldn't be happy? Although, he could very well be lying to throw her off, a very tricky procedure.

"I suppose you would like to ask your yes or no question now," Hanabi assumed. Kira smiled under his black and white mask. Half of it was smiling and happy, the other half of the face was sad. Completely unreadable; just like Kira was. No one was going to catch him; ever.

"Do you know L's real name?" Kira asked after some reflection on what he wanted to know about L. There were many thing he wanted to know, but that was the one thing he needed to know. Kira knew that even if Hanabi had the answer to what L's name was, she wouldn't tell him. That was if she knew.

"Yes. I know what L's name is," Hanabi confided in the black hooded man before her. Kira didn't expect her to tell him that. Something like that should be kept hidden. "I can tell you I know his name because I have no intention of telling you what it is. That, and I'm an honest person. A kid has innocence, Kira." Kira, for his part, was annoyed with her. She had no intention of telling him what his name is, but regardless of that, this opens many doors Kira once thought were locked. Hanabi must know L more than she lets on to know his name. Wait, didn't L say something a while back…

"You have a Shinigami that gave you your tool through some event and his name is Ryuk," Hanabi clearly interrupted Kira's thoughts. Kira knew she already knew this, but she wanted confirmation. How much should he say? He can't answer with silence because then she will assume that she is correct. Kira cannot have someone know they're correct and let it get to him. He has to say something.

"Yes, that is true, so?" Kira said shrugging it off as though every person knew that. Hanabi could have told him that the sky was blue and get the same reaction. This did not go over well with Hanabi. Instead of denying it, like she wanted him to, he was wholly admitting it. If she was wrong, he could still say yes and have her believe that she was right! The thing was, though, Hanabi doesn't let things like that get to her. Kari, probably, and Riku would get annoyed with something like this, but not Hanabi. No, she was strong.

"So, what do you want to ask me next?" Hanabi said putting the pressure off herself and onto him. Kira took notice of this, but made no move that he noticed it. He had his next question prepared, but how would Hanabi react to it? Intimidated? Scared? Or maybe angry at Kira? Only the words from her mouth could answer question and his..

"Are you related to L?" Hanabi lost her breath. For that moment, she could not breathe no matter how much she wanted to. Kira couldn't see it under the mask, but he must know she faltered. If she said no, he wouldn't believe her. If she said yes, he would assume things. Hanabi needed to tell him, but what to tell him? Tell him that L was her father? No, that could be bad, but what then?

"I'm his little sister. We've never gotten along because he had gotten special schooling. I am competing against him to capture you," Hanabi made up quickly. It would make sense, though. It explains why she doesn't like L and why she isn't working with him. Of course, a competition between siblings. Makes sense. Kira doesn't think that she is lying, for what reason would she lie about something like that?

"Hm, I see. Then, what do you have for me? Any other theories?" Kira led on. Hanabi regained her composure and prepped herself. Kira was in for it. He may not have known it, but Hanabi sure did. Hanabi took out some gum, she had been resisting eating it for a while now, and began to chew. Kira thought it was odd, but said nothing. It was Hanabi; there was not a thing average about her. (a/n I don't know how she is blowing a bubble wearing a mask, btw. She's Riku and she's awesome and this is a fanfic with a notebook that kills people, so she can chew and blow bubbles through a mask. Meh).

"Kira, my final theory is this: You write down a person's name using the tool given to you by a shinigami named Ryuk that is either a special type of paper or writing utensil." Now it was Kira's turn to be taken aback. How did she get so damn close to the truth? The only thing that she didn't know was whether it was a writing implement or paper. He'd hold that against her, as he'd never tell her.

"So, which is it? The paper or writing utensil?" Kira mocked. Hanabi didn't know. Her guess would be a writing utensil, as it was more easily stored, and you could write the name down anywhere. A wall, clothing, your hand, and the person you want to kill, their hand. She couldn't guess, though. Just flip a coin and say that. Each had an equal possibility, and she has gotten this far, why turn back now? Maybe, just maybe Kira would tell her. It was worth a shot.

"I don't know, you tell me. Unless you think I'm going to actually get you with that," Hanabi taunted, blowing a bubble to show she finished speaking. Kira watched the bubble as it grew bigger, and then 'pop.' That pop set off a chain reaction in the black hooded teen's mind. Hanabi was testing him. She was testing him to see how far he would go and how much he'd give away. But he was not going to give in. There was no chance of that. None at all.

"No, I'd rather not. You're a smart girl, but I'd like to ask you a question about yourself, is that alright?" Kira asked, hinting onto something bigger. Hanabi didn't see why not and nodded continuing to chew her gum. "Can I see you without the mask on?" Hanabi gave Kira a blank stare. Why would he ask something like that? Unless he was Raito and wanted to see if she looked like Kari, then that's perfectly acceptable and she'll take off her mask for that. Why? Solely because she likes a challenge. It's not like Kira knows her real name. Heck, she'd have to look through birth certificates herself to find out.

Slowly, Hanabi took off her mask. Raito didn't commit the little girl he saved some time ago with red hair to memory, but this was definitely her. Hanabi looked so childish, yet so grown up. Like an adult was put into a child's body. She had unnatural black eyes that contrasted her red hair greatly. The girl, Kari, she had black eyes, too. Raito knows from watching her at the movie theatre. Somehow, that date paid off. He now knew that Hanabi was Kari.

Hanabi put her mask back on and the porcelain face stared back at Kira once more. A moment of silence passed as each went over what they had learned and if they wanted to know anything else. Neither did at the moment, and so each turned to leave. Raito was about gone, when the childish voice came from behind him.

"Same time next week?" Hanabi called out. Kira didn't know whether she turned to face him or not because he kept on walking. After a moment's hesitation, he put his hand up saying that he would be back next week. The pair left with so many unanswered questions and so much to share and know.

Riku went home, and found L sitting there with the rest of the investigation team. Riku prepared herself for getting scolded, although she didn't know why. Riku just had a feeling that she did something wrong and that L would scold her for it. Her mother never scolded her, so she didn't know what to expect. What was he going to say? How should she respond?

Riku tip-toed towards her room, hoping not to be caught or stopped, but she was. L along with everyone else was watching her the whole time. Soon enough she just gave up, and turned to face her dad. 'Here goes nothing,' Riku thought.

"Hi, dad! What's up?" Riku asked first. 'Pretend nothing is wrong. Maybe he's forgotten. Yeah, right, like anyone would forget that!' Riku told herself, and sighed. She opened her mouth to explain what she did, when L interrupted her.

"Nothing, just worrying whether or not my daughter was going to be killed by a mass murderer," L explained. Ooh, Riku knew that was a burn. She thought only high school girls could say stuff like that, but L pulled it off so well. It was mean, yet it showed his concern for her. The task force could only sit and watch the show that was unfolding before them. A play was beginning and the characters were taking their places.

"Well, I'm not dead am I? I also learned some stuff about Kira!" Riku tried to explain. L did not look impressed. Frankly, L didn't look like much of anything; his face was unmoving and emotionless. Riku knew what she said wouldn't ease his worry at all.

"Riku," L began, and Riku waited in expectation of what would come, "just don't get yourself killed, please." Riku paused in what her thoughts were saying. She had plenty of excuses ready to fire off, but there was no excuse for this. There was no accusation. It was just a plea; a plea that she'd be careful.

Riku tried to look at it from her father's point of view. His daughter was working with a mass murderer. She was doing dangerous things that could kill her. It seemed that she didn't care. Ooh, that's not a good point of view to be looking from. And L was going through this ever since he left her with Kira? That's near an hour of torture! Riku understood where her father was coming from now. Riku admitted defeat, and that's no small feat, by putting her hands up.

"As much as I'd like to say I'm going to be an angel," Riku began looking at her dad, catching his eye warily, "I know I'm not and I don't think I'll ever stay totally out of danger. I'll try not to take too many risks, but I can't guarantee I'll be perfect. I have to pretend to be Kira's accomplice now. Ooh, he thinks I'm your sister and you got special schooling and we're in competition to catch you. I told him I'm trying to capture him, but I'm planning on changing that, so I'll be taking more risks."

L didn't think he'd get her to completely stop what she was doing. He just wants to make her more aware of her surroundings. He knows he has a very head-strong and opinionated daughter, and he wouldn't have it any other way. If she was less aggressive than she was now, he'd want her to be more aggressive; probably the nature of humans. We want things to be different, but when they are we want to go back to the original.

L took out some candy and munched on it. He held out a handful to Riku who took it happily, and they seemed to understand each other. For the moment anyway. Who knows what will happen in the future? I don't, that's for sure. It'll all work out somehow; that I can give a money back guarantee on. (a/n even if you're not paying me).

**I'm planning on killing someone, which may or may not happen**** because the characters may or may not wan to kill someone****, but I'd like input from my fans to see if they want to kill off someone. And don't say Matsuda, he's cool. ****Lol.**** Ooh, I'm planning on a bonus chapter at 50 reviews, so look forward to that! It's in process right now, and occurs no where really in the story.**** I'm hoping it'll be chapter twelve, but we'll have to wait and see!**

**C ya l8r!**


	12. It's the End of the World BONUS!

**Since I have reached 50 reviews, yay, I decided to make a bonus chapter to show my appreciation!! That and I really wanted to do this, but didn't think I'd get a chance to, so I'll do it here. ****I have no idea how this will turn out. None. I hope everyone likes it, though!**

**Disclaimer: I don't feel like it anymore**

**All in the Past BONUS CHAPTER!!!**

The world has ended. It was all over. Nothing could save them now. Not Superman, nor Spiderman, nor Batman, not any other hero and not even God (if you believe in God). L's world could very well end right now. There is nothing that he can do, really. Why is the world ending? (a/n ooh, what could it be? lol)

Riku had a fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. A high fever. L was in panic mode. How could he let this happen? It was torturing him that she was sick. How did she get predisposed to a fever? (a/n that's one of the words I have to learn for English). He should have prevented it, but he didn't see the signs. L should've, but Riku was too good an actress. She probably didn't want to worry him, but he wanted to take care of her. A dilemma was created from this.

The first sign was her coughing. Riku covered it well enough with her gum chewing. Although L did notice, he didn't think much of it. Humans cough; that was natural. Riku prevented most coughing fits from occurring. She really didn't want to worry anyone or be babied like she knew L would. Riku had that feeling that L is a very overprotective father.

The other sign was dizziness. This one was much harder to cover, and Riku didn't do a very good job of covering it up. L caught her, though, when she nearly fell over. It was then he figured out that she had a fever.

It was a pretty normal afternoon, just a couple days before the doctor would come and proclaim her having a fever. Riku was just getting up with everyone after sitting talking about Kira, when a wave of nausea washed over her. Riku almost fell over, but caught herself.

"Are you okay?" Matsuda asked. L heard, but didn't pay much attention since it was Matsuda. He wished that he had paid more attention since he might've been able to prevent her from getting sick. Riku shook her head as a no to Matsuda's question and the day went on normally. After that, the signs started showing up more, and L called the doctor. He said she had a fever and recommended that some medicine and sleep would be fine.

So, now we come back to Riku's position; lying on the bed in agony because of her fever. She wanted to get up and go into the next room to hear what everyone was saying on the Kira case, but she was too tired. It took most of her strength to stay awake right now, and she was slowly trying to muster strength to move. Her head was pounding and soon she succumbed to the sleep that wanted her.

No one in the next room was talking about the Kira case, though. L was panicking too much for that. He wanted to know how Riku got sick. She ate properly, and got adequate sleep. Not enough a child her age should get, but enough. L doesn't get sick; it just doesn't happen. He got sick once for a day, and he was fine the next. It couldn't have been hereditary, so L was convinced soon after that it must have been one of the investigation members.

L left the table to check up on his daughter. He walked into the room and saw that she had a pained expression on her face. L was a great detective that has solved numerous cases, yet he was so powerless that he couldn't help his one daughter when she was sick? So much for that. L wanted to stay there and look after her, but the rest of the task force was still here; he couldn't up and leave them.

"How is Riku doing?" Mr. Yagami asked when L came out of Riku's room closing the door. L didn't respond. He had no response to say. Behind the door, his daughter was suffering. What can you say? You can't say that she's doing fine because she obviously isn't. Lying wouldn't help her get any better.

"I would appreciate it if everyone left for the time. I will not be able to work efficiently with Riku like this, and I would like to look after her." Everyone agreed with what L said and nodded silently getting up to leave. L was sitting on the couch after getting some ice cream to eat while he thought. He said what he said to them not just because of those reasons, but mainly because one of them must have the virus that made Riku sick. L didn't know who, nor does he care. One of them made his daughter sick, and he doesn't know who, so all must leave.

Watari felt bad for L; there was nothing he could do but wait. As a good friend, Watari felt he should do something, but just being there would probably be good for L. L, for his part, was not doing well and really wanted to be alone. Alone. It's such a scary word. No one around you, but that's what L wanted. He was thinking that if he was alone, no one could hurt him. If he never met Riku, he wouldn't have gotten hurt by her being sick, right?

L was interrupted in his thoughts by a knock on the door. L looked towards the swinging door to see Raito walk in. L was disturbed. Raito was here, and he didn't know about Riku. And L needed to check on her constantly because he was spasmodic, and that meant if her left her alone for to long if would just starts spazzing out randomly. That isn't a good thing, especially not with Raito here anyway.

"L, where is the rest of the investigation team?" Raito asked looking around. He knew something was up; L was acting strangely. And when I say strangely, I mean more strange than he usually acts. And that's pretty damn strange. Raito wondered what could possibly make L act like this. Wasn't L the guy with no emotion? Why would he look panicked of all things now? It was very easy to see emotion in L, even if he only showed a little because he acts just the tiniest bit different from normal.

"I gave them the day off today, is that a problem, Raito?" L asked, not really caring what Raito will say, but curious nonetheless. If Raito pointed out it was a big problem since they still don't even have the slightest lead on Kira, L would agree with him. If Raito agreed with L, then L has to agree with himself. It only makes sense that way. Suddenly, the two people heard a cough coming from the other room.

"What was that?" Raito asked going to look into the room. L watched Raito and thought quickly. He knew he couldn't very well say that it was that it was his sick daughter Riku. There wasn't anyone else to say it was though. Watari was busy at the moment getting medicine for Riku, and L was right here. L was positive Raito wouldn't believe him if he said that he was the one who coughed. And by now it was too late to say that he didn't hear a thing, curse L and his long-thinking processes.

L was thinking of something when the door opened. Out stepped not Riku, but Hanabi. She wore no mask, but donned the red hair she was famous for. Raito blinked at seeing Hanabi here. She seemed to be very sick, could that be why? They were brother and sister after all, no matter how much Hanabi disliked L. Hanabi started walking towards the kitchen, but slipped. Raito watched as L came in to catch her and checked to see if she was alright.

"What do you need?" L asked her, steadying her as she stood. Raito watched the scene as she told L in a whisper that she wanted water. He had put her in a chair and then went to fetch her a glass of water. She waited a moment, before letting out a huge sigh. Hanabi seemed to be putting so much stress on her body by moving, but she didn't want to worry L, for whatever reason. Maybe she didn't want to show weakness. Whatever the reason, she hasn't noticed Raito yet.

"Oh, hello Raito," Hanabi greeted, at last seeing him. Raito nodded and sat down at the table. He didn't feel like leaving right now, and he felt he might be needed. L brought out the glass and gave it to Riku, who drank it eagerly. L now turned to Raito.

"As you can see, I am currently taking care of my little sister," L informed Raito who nodded. Raito understood that this is why everyone left; L wanted to take care of his sister. So, maybe L cares for his sister, but she doesn't care about him? Possible. Yes, even when they didn't know, Raito was learning about them. Kind of creepy, isn't it? Then again, when opportunity knocks, for Pete's sake open the door! (a/n I love that quote! Sorry, continue).

Silence pervaded the room as everyone was in thought. Well, to be correct, Hanabi wasn't thinking all that much, she was just looking around the room blankly. L wanted to know why Raito was here. Was he here to try and do something to Hanabi as Kira or was he here as a task force member? L is suspecting Raito more than he lets on, and does most things assuming Raito is Kira. That may or may not come back to get him in the end.

"Hey," Hanabi began after looking for a while, her eyes settling on something, "can we play a board game?" Both L and Raito looked confused. A board game? What was Hanabi thinking asking them to play a board game? However, she looked so happy at the idea of playing a board game, regardless of how sick she was, that L couldn't resist. L nodded, and then Hanabi focused all the cuteness she could muster on Raito. Even Raito knew that it was going to be a losing battle not playing the game. Since L agreed, he'd find some way to prove that Raito not playing increased his chance of being Kira.

"Yeah, which game?" Raito asked following where Hanabi's eyes had moved to. The game she had found was none other than "Sorry" (a/n and I don't own that, I think Hasbro does). They set up the game and started playing. They got into silly arguments sometimes, like with the 7 split card and the 11 switching places card. L and Raito argued a little and Hanabi laughed at how childish they were.

They were a little more than halfway through the game, when Hanabi suddenly got very dizzy and nearly collapsed. Her mind went blank; she was awake, but her mind wouldn't register anything that was going on. She vaguely remembered that L carried her to her room and put her in bed. Raito said goodbye and left, knowing it was time to leave. He had to admit as he was leaving that he had a fun time playing Sorry. Although, he never did get to beat L as he had three pawns in home. He was so close, yet so very far.

Back in Hanabi's room, L was trying everything he could think of to put Riku's fever down; and he could think of a lot of things. The first and most practical was to put a wet cloth on her forehead. One idea down, a tone more to go. Next, he tried to giver warm milk, he read somewhere in his lifetime that was helpful for fevers, or was it to help to go to sleep? Well, when you were sick, sleep was good wasn't it? So either way it worked out.

He tried numerous other things like feeding her leeks and soup, but nothing seemed to be of any significant help. He knew that if he kept doing all of the things that he was doing, her fever would go down, in approx. twenty-six hours! L couldn't wait that long! He wanted help for his daughter now, but he couldn't think of a damn thing that was useful. Here he was, the supposed genius of the world, and he couldn't stop one fever. How was he supposed to catch Kira?

How Riku must hate him, for not being such a good father. Fathers were always supposed to know what to do. They were supposed to have all of the answers, and be able to share them with their children. L usually _did_ have the answers. Usually, he knew exactly what to say to the people around. Usually, everyone looked up to him when they needed answers and he responded by giving them the answers. But this wasn't the "usual" day. No day had been "usual" since he met Riku. And he wouldn't have it anyway. His silence must have scared Riku or something because when she spoke her voice was shaky.

"Hey, dad?" Riku began, and L nodded telling her to continue, "Do you regret having me as a daughter?" L did not like where this was going, but couldn't stop it, either, "I mean, I worry you a lot. If I wasn't your daughter, you'd never have to worry. Everything would go the way you want it to, without me messing up your plans. I'm probably always going to do something you don't agree with, but if I wasn't here, then you wouldn't have to put up with me. Even now, I'm sick, and can't do anything," Riku finished on the brink of tears. They were welled up in her eyes threatening to fall.

L was speechless to what she said. How could she think that? What kind of self-respecting parent thinks of their child like that? Yes, he wishes she wouldn't do such dangerous things, but a parent will always. That's how the parent grows with the child. Together they grow up even more than they could by themselves. Even though Riku is a genius, she has no clue about family or love. Then again, neither did L until he met Riku. (a/n I mean FAMILY love ppl!!)

"Riku," L prepared what to say. Riku didn't know what he'd say. She wasn't even going to try to guess, he usually comes up with something totally different from what her original idea was anyway. "Is that what you really think?"

"Well, of course it is!! I wouldn't say something that in depth if I didn't mean it!" Riku said looking up at her dad pouting. Why wouldn't she mean what she said? It's not like she'd lie about something as deep as that. Lying like that would be mean and cruel and totally unnecessary and un-called for. Riku could never do that to her father. Riku gave an indignant "hmph" and turned away. She heard a sigh and felt a bop on her head. 'Wha…?' The bop didn't hurt nor make her anymore dizzy, it just startled her.

"Baka." (a/n for those ppl that don't know what this means take a guess. I'm sure you'll be very close.) Plain and simple. Who knew that one word that could say so much? Just a small word telling her how stupid she was and everything was fine. The atmosphere of uneasiness that she created melted away with the word. Riku felt that this atmosphere was too happy and bubbly, and felt that she needed to change it.

"Hey, dad?" Riku wondered. L looked down at her waiting for her to continue, "When am I really allowed to start dating? I know you're supposed to judge the guy, but when am I to start looking for one?" L gave the girl a small glare. He had already given her his response, did she forget it already? No, that can't be it; she must have something to change his mind, but what?

"Never."

"EH?! Before that wasn't what you said!" Riku whined, reverting back to a little girl, but L gave her a stern father look and she continued on with a rant, "But if it's never, then how am I supposed to become a normal girl? Normal girls fall in love with a guy. They go through the trouble of trying to get him to notice her. An average girl will eventually fall in love and grow up to get married. And then have a family, and then their children will grow up and it's a cycle."

Her logic was flawless. Still, as of right now, he was her little girl. Who was sick and needed to be sleeping in bed! L realized this with a start. She's been awake and exhausting herself and not sleeping! Problem, there's a huge dilemma! Quickly, L picked up Riku and brought her to her room and tucked her in. This was all before she could react to any of it, before she realized she was treated like a five-year old.

"H-Hey! I'm not five-years old! I'm thirteen!" Riku complained but was unable to move in the bed. No matter how much she struggled, she wouldn't budge. L was standing at the doorway upon noticing that she was addressing him with the 'hey.' L smiled as he looked at her. To him, she was a little girl. And she would always be.

"Riku, I have to make up for the years I missed by treating you like this. And so you know, you'll always be a little girl to me," L told her as he turned off the light and shut the door. Riku smiled to herself. A small smile that lit up in the dark of her room. Riku supposed that she always knew that; that she always knew she'd be treated like a little girl by L. After all, she was his little girl.

**I tried to make this a father-daughter moment chapter, but didn't get to it until the end. Ah well, I hope you liked**** it!! ****Raito was playing Sorry, hehehe. I find that funny. ****I only had her getting sick and a father daughter scenario in my head while I was typing this, so excuse me if it seems like crud. I hope it doesn't but who am I to decide?**** PLEASE leave a review! Riku will get better if you do!**

**C ya l8r!**


	13. Cleared up Lies

**Uh, yeah, because many people seemed to have made this mistake, chapter 12 was a BONUS chapter. Just something I wanted to throw in, it has nothing to do with the plot at all! NOTHING!! This chapter is going back to the plotline, though, so enjoy! **

**Happy Valentine's Day! ****(to all those that care) Or**

**Happy Singles Awareness Day! ****Oh, and as a side note with V-Day, how many people don't like it? I'm curious because if you have a BF or GF it's fun, but to those that don'****t****, like me, it's like, why bother? I just want a general ****consensus**

**Disclaimer: I own Death Note as much as I own a Valentine's card given to me by my**** nonexistent**** BF. Basically nothing.**

**All in the Past**

Things have been pretty calm lately. No new discoveries have been made, no new conclusions, and Kira was still doing the same damn thing that he's always been doing. All that happened with the quiz game Riku had with Kira was that her theory was confirmed. She now had proof; she had recorded their entire conversation and played it back to L, that Kira used a tool that was given to him by the Shinigami Ryuk. Although, she already knew this, so it wasn't very helpful. Still, it was nice to have things confirmed and concrete.

L couldn't conclude anything new about Kira. He simply wasn't making any mistakes. Kira had everything planned out right now so he wouldn't be figured out unless L made the first move. And L hated that. He hated that Kira had him figured out so well, which only strengthened his Raito is Kira theory. He needed to learn more about Raito, without Raito knowing. But how? It was too dangerous to send Kari in since Kira at least knew Riku was Kari. And if he was under the assumption that Raito was Kira then that endangered Riku too much. L could try a feint, no. That wouldn't work against Kira, at least not yet anyway.

The whole investigation team, including Raito, was here today and was trying to find more on Kira. As much as they didn't like to admit it, they weren't getting very far. Every person knew this and the tension was high. If they didn't think of something soon, then they might have to quit. L was looking over everything they had learned thus far. There was a lot, actually.

First, there was learning where Kira was and the extent of his killing power. This was done by L and was solely speculation and figuring things out as Kira did. Kira would test a limit of his power and L would observe and conclude. Second, was limiting the possibilities of who Kira could be. It was soon narrowed down to the families of the investigation team that Ray Penbar (sp?) was tracking. That was done through his behavior exhibited before his death. Third, would be the arrival of Riku and her thoughts and opinions on the above discussed things. They matched with what L was thinking, making them all the more believable and real. Finally, the tool Kira uses, which Riku confirmed, is either that of a pen or paper. Or both. She confirmed this theory with Kira himself.

L left the investigation team for a while to go see Riku. No one bothered to ask where he was going and L didn't tell them. Raito was there and L would do his best to make sure that he never found out about Riku. Raito may know that Hanabi and Kari were the same person, but he knew nothing of Riku and that is something to be grateful for. L looked into her room and saw Riku looking out the window, down at the world below. L moved in and sat down on the edge of the bed closing the door. He waited until Riku turned to face him before he would say anything, but Riku beat him to it.

"Hey, L, I just remembered something," Riku announced, still looking down at the cars passing by below her, and she continued, "In Raito's room, under his desk, more than likely a drawer, is a small hole. Not big enough for a finger, but for a pencil tip or something along those lines." L was intrigued by this information. Why had she not mentioned something like this before? This type of information is valuable and could fortify L's argument that Raito is Kira. Still, L wanted to know more about this hole.

"Do you think there is something hidden in the drawer, like a false bottom?" L asked the girl who had turned to face her father now. They both knew what could be hidden under there. All they needed was a confirmation on it. However, L could not just walk into Raito's room and open the drawer like that. No matter how lucrative his job is and how much money he has, he cannot invade someone' privacy… no, it's not that. It would be too suspicious if L went there, Raito would know about it for sure and do something ahead of time. If that's the case, then there's only one person for the job. It will be risky, but it will work.

"Do you have an idea, L?" A smile spread across L's face as an answer to her question.

L called in Mr. Yagami to talk about something, which left the task force on its own. Raito was pretty happy with himself. Everyone in the group seemed to be on edge ad at their breaking point. Matsuda was being quiet for once. Kira was still doing what he usually does, and they weren't getting nay closer to stopping him. Kira wasn't making any mistakes, and so unless they did something risky, in which case Raito would know about it, they weren't going to get anywhere. But then again, what could they do?

The day ended with no new discoveries, and everyone went home. Everyone except forRaito, that is. L had told him that he wanted him to stay a little bit longer afterwards because he isn't mediocre like the rest of the team. He said he had a theory and wanted to talk it over with him. So, here they were, sitting at the table, L eating a lollipop and Raito not eating a lollipop.

"How do you think Kira kills all these criminals?" L questioned Raito. Raito had to think. I mean, since he was Kira he knew the answer, but if he didn't then what would he say? There's not a lot to base it off of, so it's all speculation. But how far can he speculate? How far can he go before the limits burst? How far forward can he go unflinching?

"I think he uses something, like a tool. If it was a power he had for some time, he wouldn't have made so many mistakes in the beginning process. Kira would have it mastered before he used it, but he didn't. As to what the tool could be is limitless," Raito concluded. L nodded saying he heard him, but was busy eating his lollipop. Raito would normally be offended by this, but it was L. There wasn't a whole lot he could do about it.

"That's what I think, too," L took a moment to pause here as he finished his lollipop, "And now I have one more question to ask; do you believe in the existence of Shinigami?" Raito faltered. So, Hanabi had told L about the Shinigami Ryuk. L was looking into Raito's eyes, trying to figure out what the teen might be thinking. Raito had to think of a response, and fast, but what would Raito Yagami, a normal person, say? Would he accept this theory or reject it? Would he question what L was saying? What would Raito Yagami do?

This silence was more than enough proof for L. Proof for what, you ask? Proof that he could be Kira. The Raito Yagami L knew would probably be open to ideas such as this. The Raito Yagami L knew would not hesitate in his response, but he was. It's only been a few seconds, but those few seconds are more than enough.

"I do not believe in Shinigami, L, but I won't deny their existence, either. Kira is a person that can kill with a look and a name. As a member of this investigation team, I have to be open to these ideas. I can't close them off because they haven't been proven, can I?" Raito concluded. L's eyes went wide. This was exactly what he was thinking when Riku told him of her Shinigami theory. He didn't quite believe it, nor could he reject it, though, for the reasons Raito just stated.

Raito was relieved. L stopped looking at him trying to figure him out, and looked at him instead in wonder. Raito knew that was probably what L was thinking when Hanabi told him of that. Raito kept his mask up as he told L that he needed to go home. L didn't suspect a thing, and went back to contemplating what was going to happen later that night. Raito was in for a surprise.

"When will he call, dad?" Riku asked coming out of her room knowing Raito had left. L looked at her and shook his head. L couldn't keep him long enough.

"He may not call, Riku." Riku looked down in sadness. It was hard enough already to actually listen to the plan without trying to stop L, but now that it was in action, Riku didn't know what to do. He could very well be killed today.

Mr. Yagami came home in his car in a matter of minutes. His house was very close to the hotel where L was at. He thinks L chose that to make it more convenient, but he could be wrong. You never knew with L. His family greeted him and he sat with them for a while. Raito was coming home soon, and Mr. Yagami had something to do. The words L said were short, but he remembered them perfectly.

"Mr. Yagami. I am about to ask you to do something difficult, but I think you will be able to handle it. Only you can do it, so you must do it right. Under Raito's desk in his room, is a small hole. I suspect that the drawer may have a false bottom accessible to from the hole. I need you to find out what is in the drawer. You…may lose your life, but will you do it?"

After that, Soichiro Yagami nodded his head and took on the task. He's sure that his son isn't Kira, so what does he have to fear? It's Raito, he likes to be secretive, and L will know that it isn't anything to be concerned about, so he better get it done quickly.

Chief Yagami left his family behind him as he moved upstairs. He entered his son's room and shut the door behind him. He went over to his desk and looked under the desk. Sure enough, there was a small hole like L said. Now, how to open it? There was a pencil lead that looked like it could fit. Carefully, he opened the drawer and put the pencil lead through the hole. Sure enough, there was a false bottom. Mr. Yagami took a deep breath and opened the drawer.

He almost had a heart attack from what he saw. There, in the drawer, was a black notebook. Scrawled across the top of it were the words: DEATH NOTE. This was it. This was most definitely it. This notebook was the way Kira killed people, and that meant that his son was Kira!! Immediately, Mr. Yagami took out his cell phone and tried to phone L. He fumbled with the numbers, but he punched them in.

That was as far as he got, though.

Raito had come back home, and went up to his room, and saw his dad there, pushing buttons into a cell phone, the drawer opened. Raito switched then from Raito to Kira. His dad stopped what he was doing and stared at his son for what he truly was; a murderer. The cell phone dropped from his hand and hit the ground with a thud.

"So, are you surprised? You really believed in me, until right now. I'm sorry, but for the new world, you have to…die." Mr. Yagami froze. His heart froze. His mind became numb. He couldn't think. Why? Raito hasn't gotten to the notebook yet. Slowly, Raito opened his watch and showed him the paper with Soichiro Yagami written on it, as well as other details. Slowly, Mr. Yagami left the room. Kira watched him go. Watched him walk away to his death. Watched out the window as he went down the road. Kira felt no regret. As for Raito, he doesn't know. He did what he needed to do for the sake of the new world, but was it worth it? He may never know.

"Hey, Raito, you know that you just killed your father, right?" Ryuk questioned from where he was on Raito's bed. Raito didn't reply, but sat down, contemplating what to do next. He shut the drawer absentmindedly and smiled. Slowly, he picked up the cell phone and the ground and looked at it. Ryuk watched on as he though, "Boy, humans really are fun."

L was worried. Mr. Yagami should have responded by now. He didn't. L put his head in his hands. He could be dead. Suddenly the phone rang, and L picked it up quickly. He turned it on, and heard the voice on the other line. It wasn't Soichiro Yagami, no, it wasn't who it should be, yet, the phone number was the same.

"L, this is Kira. Yes, this is Soichiro Yagami's phone, but I am sorry to tell you that Soichiro is going to die soon. He is on his way to commit suicide right now. Why? Because he found out something he shouldn't have. Yes, it was in Raito Yagami's drawer. But no, I am sorry to inform you that Raito Yagami is not Kira. I am. He just happened to be an unsuspecting pawn in my conquest to rid the world of evil. He could die by me, you know. I know his name and face. I won't kill him, though. I plan to keep using him a while longer. Good bye, L, and good luck keeping your life."

The phone call ended like that. What L hated about it was that it answered all of his questions without him having to ask him them. Like Kira knew what L was going to say and how he was going to react. To put it simply, L was at a loss. A complete and utter loss. If anything, he was more confused now than he had ever been in his life. More confused than when he learned of Minna's death. More confused than when he learned that Kira existed. And even more confused than when he learned he had a daughter. What…Should…He do?

Riku watched as L went into turmoil. When he was on the phone, she had been completely silent listening in to what Kira was saying. The words were just that, words. They can be manipulated and twisted to fit the meaning that the person will want to hear. Riku re-wrote the entirety of what Kira had said on to paper and looked over it.

(a/n here was supposed to be inserted Riku's notes, but I can't paste something on a document and have it appear, so if you want to see it, tell me and we'll work something out).

Riku looked over her work and noted a few interesting things. The first one is that Kira said that Soichiro was going to die soon, as in he was still alive. There was no way to save him, though. Kira can manipulate actions, and will make sure that he dies. If they find him, they can ask him who Kira is at least. That way, Mr. Yagami can die knowing that he helped. And he confirmed that Raito has the notebook, whether he's conscious of it or not. Kira made it seem like he was controlling Raito's actions through mind control or something like that. That's only one possibility, though. And what Riku needs to do right now is find Mr. Yagami!

Riku looked over at her father. He was sitting on the couch with his thumb in his mouth, thinking. He had a blank look on his face. The room seemed so dark even though all the lights were on. Riku got up from her position in a chair across from her father and moved to the front door. She slipped on her sneakers and put a black sweatshirt over her head. She was wearing sweatpants, and that was good because she was going running. Riku had no idea how long she'd run, but she absolutely _had_ to find Mr. Yagami.

"Dad," Riku called out opening the large door to the hallway, "I'm going for a run, be back soon." Riku never saw L's worried expression. She never thought what he could be thinking or how much he blamed himself for Mr. Yagami's death. The empty apartment didn't help L, either. He sat there and stared at the wall. What he needed right then was a place to be safe. He hoped that building would be ready soon; it has become a necessity to be safe. The first priority on his list right now is safety. So, why did he let one of the most precious people to him go running off?

Riku had been running at a 10 minute mile pace for around ten minutes. She had no idea where she was going. The cold wind blew her hair back as she continued to pump her legs. She turned down a road and realized soon enough that her legs had brought to the Yagami household. She sprinted the last few meters and went inside. Sayu was busy in her room, probably doing her homework, and Mrs. Yagami was making dinner. It was around 7:00, so everything was pretty normal. Riku calmed herself down, and straightened out her sweatpants and wind-blown hair.

"Hello, Mrs. Yagami," Kari said quickly, giving a slight bow before wrenching off her sneakers and darting upstairs. Mrs. Yagami didn't even have time to turn around and see her before she had made it to the top step. Kari composed herself and walked down the seemingly endless hallway to Raito's room. She knocked and walked in. Kari saw Raito sitting at his desk, and smiled like Kari usually would.

"Hello, Raito!" Kari greeted. Raito didn't know Hanabi and Kari was the same person, only Kira did. If Raito made any indication that she was Hanabi, then that would only prove that he was Kira, or at least up the percentage. Raito turned in his chair to face Kari and smiled. Riku hated that smile. It was so fake.

"Hello, Kari, what is it?" Raito asked noticing how she looked in a very much hurry. Even though Riku tried to conceal it, it was way too obvious, and of course Raito would notice it. He is very observant.

"Nothing, but where's your dad? Is he still at work?" Kari asked childlike. Raito, being Kira, knew that she was Hanabi and that she'd be very much aware of why Mr. Yagami left. This was a very bad situation. All he can do is answer as honestly as possible without giving too much away. After all, the best hiding place is to hide in the light.

"He left a short while ago. He had a blank look on his face," Raito continued. Kari nodded. So, he wasn't going to say what really happened, was he? Riku doesn't blame him; she wouldn't tell the truth either if she was in his position. Kari wanted to ask him more, when Mrs. Yagami called Raito down for dinner. Raito called down saying he'd be there shortly. "Are you going to come down for dinner?"

"Uh, I already ate, so," Kari began sheepishly. She twiddled her thumbs a little bit, as if to prove that she didn't really want to go downstairs. Riku was praying that her innocent act would work, and that isn't something she does often. Her small thumbs kept twiddling, and Raito just got up to leave. He wasn't supposed to suspect her, anyway. He had already told them that the notebook was in his desk, he couldn't care less if they knew about Ryuk, and he had the Death Note paper with Mr. Yagami's name on it hidden in his wrist watch. There was nothing to lose from letting her actually see the Death Note.

"Okay, then, I'll see you after dinner," Raito opened the door and left to go downstairs. Kari waved good-bye to his retreating form. Kari looked around his room, taking in his nice bed, bookcase, closet, and desk before going to inspect the desk. She knew where the hole was, and sure enough it was there. She looked on top of the desk and grabbed a pen to open the drawer. She opened the drawer, and inserted the pen into the hole, and pulled on the false bottom that appeared. Like she expected, it was there. Not the pen she thought to see, but a notebook. The Death Note.

Hesitantly, Riku picked it up. She had to, and nothing happened to her. She didn't instantly have a heart attack, it didn't explode, it seemed normal. Everything wasn't normal. Especially when Riku heard laughter. It couldn't be Raito, so it must be…

"Hello Ryuk, the Shinigami, my name is Riku," Riku turned smiling towards the Shinigami sitting on the bed. He laughed more and looked over the girl. He hadn't paid much attention before because she was some random shy girl, but she had gotten hold of the Death Note. She was a normal teenage girl in sweatpants and a black sweatshirt. Her eyes were the only noticeable feature, and right now they were in triumph.

"Heh, nice to meet'cha. Y'know he won't be happy that you have that," Ryuk said knowing what she wanted to do. He read her name, and it wasn't like any of the other names she had told Raito that she was. He wondered if anyone else knew her name, probably not, and Ryuk wasn't going to tell Raito. Riku smiled at the Shinigami.

"I know you're not going to tell me anything, so good bye," Riku stated moving towards the window. Ryuk watched in amusement. 'She wasn't really going to,' Ryuk thought as he watched her open the window and look down. She gauged how far the drop was and decided to risk it. After all, she needed to get out of here quick. Raito was fast and could catch up to her. She needed to get back to L. Riku made it her first priority to get the notebook to L, whatever it takes.

"oh, look, she did jump," Ryuk remarked as Riku flew out the window to land on the ground. What she didn't know was that Raito saw this coming.

**Hope you liked it! And I want to ask a question. Do you, as my readers, think that I'm getting better as I write? ****Because I hope I am, but I can't tell. Can't tell at all. Like I think I am, but I might just be getting worse. **** Ah well,**** and I'm very sorry for what I am about to ****say but, I won't update for a while. I have vacation next week and I'm going skiing with my family, so yeah! That's why I made this chapter long. So, until then,**

**C ya l8r!**


	14. Defiant Eyes and a Hood

**I AM SO SORRY!! I have been so busy. Like I will now list all of the many things that have kept me from coming to the comp.**

**Skiing Vacation – We had no computers there, sorry.**

**I got a puppy – I LOVE HER!! Her name is Shelby and I've spent a ton of time with her because we've never had a dog before**

**Making my Anime Boston Costume – If any of you are going, I am in a Sakura Tsubasa costume. Ask for Lil1diva. If it's not me, then point towards the ceiling and scream. Why? Because it's funny. Lol.**

**Brawl – Do I need to say anything here?**

**So, yeah, I have been busy with homework as well, so I had NO time on the computer. This is my first time in… 2 weeks? Yeah. I'm surprised I haven't gone into withdrawal. On with the chapter!!**

**I lied, I have something else to say. I'm messing around with and changing the Death Note "How to Use" rules slightly to fit my convenience. Actually, I'm only changing one rule because it's hard for me to kill someone. NOW on with the chapter!!**

**All in the Past**

Riku knew she was in trouble. Darkness covered everything except for a four-foot radius in front of her, which was the sidewalk. Her ankles hurt from jumping out the window, and she mentally kicked herself for being so stupid. Nevertheless, she was alive, and holding the Death Note. Riku didn't know what to make of the Death Note. She assumes that Ryuk knew how to use it, but at the beginning, Kira was testing his powers, so that could only mean Ryuk didn't tell him how. Moreover, that definitely meant that she wasn't going to get him to talk either.

Riku wanted to know why the streetlights were off; it was creeping her out. She began walking into the unknown before her. She walked slowly and steadily, holding the Death Note close to her heart. If Kira were holding this, that heart would have failed her. She didn't know how, but Kira had his sources; he could probably figure it out. It couldn't be too hard for him. He did have a Shinigami on his side that he could bribe. With apples, maybe, like the coded letter said. Riku vaguely wondered padding her way through the chilling darkness if maybe she could have bribed him. Probably.

Riku had been cautiously creeping along for not more than a minute, when she saw a small flashlight ahead of her. She could take a guess as to who held the flashlight. Riku crept up to the person, and found that her speculation was off; it was nowhere near the person she had thought it to be. In fact, the person holding the flashlight could be considered at that moment her savior. The person holding the flashlight was none other than a regular police officer. Just a regular police officer out on his normal rounds. Riku sighed knowing this comforting fact and hid the Death Note in her jacket so as not to arouse suspicion. (a/n, okay, right about here I threw away every single thing I had planned and switched to a totally new plan revolving around this, just to show you how much I change my mind. I don't plan details so when I make them, new ideas come to my head.)

Riku ran to the police officer and explained her situation in about eleven seconds. The light was here now, she was safe. The police officer had a handlebar mustache and had small, attentive eyes that listened to her as she came up with a careful saying that she got lost walking home. Riku was small compared to his large frame, but Riku wasn't scared and she asked him to take her home. He didn't understand what was really going on, but as a citizen, he had a duty to help helpless thirteen year-old girls that were lost. He took her to the police car that sprang to life and they began driving.

Riku knew she was lucky. Here she was in a nice, clean car safe. The darkness didn't scare her anymore and she no longer felt afraid. If she were back at that house, no doubt would she and Raito have a conflict she would end up losing. He was older than she was, and could overpower her if necessary.

Riku was going to hum to herself when she realized something. She hadn't told the large man beside her where she lived, yet he was driving somewhere. Riku looked through the window into the dark and found that they were going away from her home, or L's apartment place that she called home. When Riku informed him of this, his response was enough to get her on edge.

"I know. I'm not taking you home," he informed her, putting on the child lock on the doors. Riku stared at him and stopped to analyze the situation. She was being kidnapped. That was obvious. What wasn't obvious was why. Was the police officer beside her impersonating a police officer? She had been so desperate for help she didn't ask to see his badge. Even if he was a policeman, though, he could still be kidnapping her, but that still left her with the question of why. Since there was nothing that she could think of that would satisfy her, she decided to try to find a way out.

In the car were she, the police officer, and nothing else lying on the ground; this told her that the man was neat and organized and wouldn't likely stray from a set plan. That didn't mean however, that he had a plan in the first place. Both of his hands were on the wheel, and his eyes were faced straight ahead of him. Riku had no weapons in which to hit him with, so she would have to rely on herself and her wit. (a/n I know, I'm bothering you again, but my head is so logical right now because I just read a book called Evil Genius by Catherin Jinks, and it TOTALLY blew my head up with logic and planning. It did.)

A plan began to formulate in Riku's mind. The police officer watched as Riku bent down to tie her shoes, distracting him from the road. He immediately brought his head back up, now determined to keep his eyes on the road. This is what Riku was counting on. She coughed twice, and he brought his eyes off from the road again, only to realize he needed them on the road. He steeled himself not to look at her again. Riku knew he was a stone now. She was betting on that.



As fast as she could, she unbuckled, leaned over and unlocked the doors. By that time he realized that she was planning something, and this was confirmed when she opened the door to jump. Being a police officer, though, he had some experience in this. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into her seat, still driving. Riku fought to break free, but stopped when she felt a pain in her neck, and darkness that engulfed her.

Riku awoke in a warehouse with her hands tied behind her back in the middle of the floor and the police officer sitting in a chair not too far away below her feet. Quickly she took in her surroundings. There was one small, barred window that she could see, and empty space. It smelled musty, but not of gas nor of gasoline. There weren't any explosives as far as she could tell, and no visible door. It must be behind her, and she didn't dare to turn her head to see. For now, she would feign that she was still knocked out.

Riku was wondering what the police officer was doing, but she got her answer when a door opened behind her. She saw a person walk towards the police officer and watched as the police officer left. Riku couldn't tell who it was for they were hooded. The person looked familiar but she couldn't tell. She hoped it wasn't Kira, she really hoped that it wasn't Kira. She prayed that it wasn't Kira. She felt that she still had the Death Note under shirt and planned to keep it that way. She also mentally cursed herself for not having a recorder on her anywhere.

"Why, Kari, why did you leave Raito's house so soon? Were you scared of him? Or did you want to go home to L to tell him what you found?" the malicious voice Riku knew all too well taunted her and her position. There was nothing she could do. No way out. She was going to have to face Kira.

Oh, how Riku hated fate.

Riku didn't bother to ask how he knew that she had the Death Note or that she was at Raito's house in the first place; he was supposed to be Raito anyway. If he was, though, then what kind of excuse did he make up? It was probably something like another date with Kari. The thought of it made Riku squirm under her bound hands. Most ordinary girls carried a nail file, that would come in handy in situations like this, but Riku was no ordinary girl. She was carrying a stolen Death Note from a mass murderer that wanted her dead before she even stole the accursed thing. Oh, yes how fate was hated.

"Don't try to feign being asleep, it quite easily spotted that you're not," Kira began, "so why put up this façade? If I were to untie your hands, would you give me the Death Note?" Kira spoke as if to a child. Riku was no child. Well, she was no _ordinary_ child, and she certainly did not like Kira treating her as one. In response to Raito's question and his treating her like a child, she spit at him. Kira glared at her as she stuck her tongue out in a mocking tone. If he thought her a child, then that's what she needs to be. If she played her cards right, she may get out of this with the Death Note. In addition, hopefully alive.



"What makes you think I'd give a murderer a weapon in which to kill thousands with? I thought every person has the right to live," Riku said monotonously. She had been reading lately about John Locke and came across that he said that every human has the right to life, liberty, and property. Right now, she has the Death Note that technically belongs to the shinigami and not Raito, so she's not violating any of those things. Technically, anyway. Un-technically she stole the Death Note from Raito or Kira or whatever he calls himself.

Kira now moved so now he was sitting right in front of Riku. She flinched ever so slightly; a move not unnoticed by him. He was contemplating what he should do. The things he could do were numerous, but which would be the most efficient one? The easiest way would be to strangle her, but he was not some cold-blooded killer. This was also the sister of L he was thinking about. Whatever he did to her would reflect what could later happen to him. He had to plan carefully and quickly.

"I thought you were going to try to capture me and prove to L that you were his equal. Yet there you were running to him. Why would you do that?" Raito taunted talking with his hands. He was only emphasizing that she was at his mercy right now. Riku knew she was in a precarious situation. She had temporarily forgotten about the fact that she was supposedly in league with Kira and had rushed to go see L. She had no response and turned her head away from him. Kira had the advantage in the game they played.

"No response?" Kira smirked grabbing her chin so that she faced him. Riku had defiant eyes. She defied him in control. She defied the fate that she could die that night. All he had to do was write her name in the notebook, if he knew it. It was then that she saw something in the corner. A dark, shadowed figure with long wings. She had only seen him once before, but there was no one else like him. A smile played on Riku's lips as she saw him.

"Ryuk's here I see," Riku observed, "bet you're going to use him to get my name, aren't you?" Kira smiled as well, though it was hidden under the hood. For a kid, she was witty. True, that's what he planned on doing once he got the Death Note from her, but he wouldn't tell her that. Any advantage over her is an advantage to him. Any advantage to him is one that he's going to take.

"And what if I am?" Kira retorted. Riku knew he wouldn't say, "Yes, that is what I plan to do," but she expected something else. Her eyes reflected her disappoint in his answer. She internally sighed and decided to play along with this game he had going.

"If you are going to ask him for my name, I bet he wouldn't tell you," Riku tested her boundaries. She still used her childish voice to annoy him. Riku decided that Ryuk hadn't told Kira much because he had to test the limits. If Ryuk were cooperative, then he would have told Kira what the boundaries were. What she said was based solely on this fact, and she hoped he didn't figure that out.



"Hm," Kira thought, dragging out the 'm' and holding it as he formed the words in his mind, "if I were to do that, I'd need the Death Note, wouldn't I?" Riku was afraid of what could happen next. She had no idea is he was carrying a weapon on him and she could easily die without him having to use the Death Note. It's not like every person died by the Death Note; her mom didn't. "I'm not going to hurt you, Kari; I just want what belongs to me."

"Oh yes, she's definitely just going to give you the Death Note," Ryuk mocked the murderer. Kira shot him a glare that went through the Death God and left him unfazed. Ryuk let out a maniacal laugh and left Kira to do what he wanted. What Kira wanted to do, though, was a little bit against his code. Sacrifices must be made if he wanted his ideal world to become a reality. Defiant eyes returned as a smile assumed its place on Kira's face, barely seen through the hood this time.

"I could always search you for it, but I really don't want to, for you see that's illegal and I always follow the law." Riku's mouth blurted out a response before she could stop herself.

"That didn't stop you from killing thousands of people." Kira wanted to respond and argue, but there was no point. Hanabi, who was also Kari, is just as stubborn as he is and neither of them would get anywhere. He let the comment drop and disappear as he fought with himself on what to do next. He knew what he needed to do, but could he do it? The next sentence Kari said convinced him that he needed to do it, "what, Kira can't take a Death Note from a girl with her hands tied behind her back?"

Riku, still on the ground, realized the gravity of what she just said. She basically asked him to take the Death Note from her. Kira frowned, but only for a moment. The next moment the usual smirk was on his face, and this time Riku could see his expression change. He was close enough to her now that she could see his face, and guess whose face it was. It was none other than her good friend, Raito Yagami. She would have gasped at this, but that would show weakness and give Kira an advantage. Not a big advantage, but any advantage could tip the scale in someone's favor.

Proceeding with his plan, (a/n I would like to insert here it was very awkward typing this), Kira reached over to Riku and stole the Death Note from under her shirt. Riku shivered from his cold touch and looked up at him as he stepped back looking at the Death Note. His malicious smirk was wider than ever. He looked like he had something to say. Kira looked like he was hiding something he had been holding back. He opened the Death Note and showed her the last page he wrote on.

There, at the top of the page, was Hime Chousen, (Chousen being her surname).

Riku knew that was the end of it, but that wasn't all. Under it was 'accident' and a paragraph of letters too small to read. There was a time on the page; 9:30. She supposed, dreadfully, that was the time of her death. Twisting her body around, she looked at her watch. It read 9:23. She had seven minutes left to live. What was she supposed to do for seven minutes? Kira 

knew he had won. He had won all along. She didn't bother to ask how he figured out her name; there was no point if she was going to die in seven minutes. Oh, wait, it was six minutes now.

"Hey, Raito," Riku began gaining Kira/Raito's full attention, "I just want to tell you that I admire you right now. No one has ever come close to beating me in anything. For a while, I had you going, too. I guess all good things must come to end. One day you'll die, too. Oh, can I leave you with a mad gab puzzle? I'll write it on the ground if you give me a pen." Kira knew there was nothing that she could do, so he let her write out her mad gab. Her hands were tied behind her back and he was holding the Death Note.

"Ige iv upos se shunov thizno t buuck" Kira read from the ground on which Riku wrote it. It was puzzling, but Kira had no doubt he'd figure it out. He was having minor trouble with it, but Riku was going to die anyway. Riku only had twenty seconds left. Might as well die trying. Kira's eyes lit up with malicious delight when he figured out what it meant.

"I give up possession of this notebook," Kira stated with conviction, wagging the Death Note in front of him. Nothing happened. Riku had nothing planned, she never expected him to say it, but now that she did, an idea formulated. Riku didn't know if this would work, but she had to try; it could be her last chance. In a rapid succession of moves, too fast for Kira to read them and too soon after he last spoke to comprehend, Riku chomped her teeth on the Death Note and wrenched it to the ground and out of Kira's hands. Reaching over with her tied hands, she put the Death Note back in her shirt clumsily. It would have to do for now.

Kira's hands hung limp as memories faded from his mind and the hood slid back from his face. It was like an eraser wiping away the marker on a whiteboard until there was nothing left but the blankness. Riku watched in amazement as his eyes grew wide and innocent. No longer were they 'evil.' No longer were they the eyes of a murderer. No longer did they hold the intent to change the world through using a cursed book. They were the eyes of a teenager in college. Even though he was a teenager, he was a genius and as one would want to know, why a teenage girl was in front of him with her hands tied behind her back. Before Raito, no longer Kira the killer, said anything, Riku came up with an explanation.

"Oh my God, Raito are you alright?" Raito looked at her quizzically so Riku continued on, "a police officer wanted to give me a ride home after I left your house, but he wasn't a real officer, and I can't remember what happened from there, but when I woke up, you were here knocked out, and I've been waiting ever since." Raito seemed as confused as she was, and didn't really like her answer, but he had no other choice except to accept her answer because he could not come up with a better one.

"Here, I should walk you home." Everything happened in slow motion. Raito moved to untie her hands and helped her up. He led her to the door and they began walking home. The night was dark, but no longer scary, and here the streetlights were on and Riku could think. One thing she 

knew was that she was confused. Was that it? Was she really getting off the hook that easily? There should be more to it, her name was in the Death Note, shouldn't she be dead?!

No, her watch read 9:29. She would have to wait one more minute to find out if she would die. To find out if she would live to tell L of her discovery, that Raito is–_was_ Kira. Would he go to jail? He had no recollections of what he did as far as Riku knows. Maybe he really was being controlled by Kira, but what then? She had the Death Note, so what is the next-

The thought was never finished. The last thing Riku remembers seeing is Raito's worried face outlining the darkness, like a ray of light, as she blacked out. He caught her before she hit the ground and put two fingers on her wrist. He couldn't feel a pulse there. He put two fingers on her throat. Still no pulse. Desperate, he put his ear to her chest; a faint pulse. Raito did the first thing he could think of. He screamed. After he calmed down, he took out his cell phone and called 911, (a/n if that's what the number is in Japan), and they told him an ambulance was on its way.

**I'm so evil. First, I don't update and then I leave you with a cliffhanger like this. About Anime Boston, I didn't get this out in time, so don't worry about that. If you didn't, I recommend that you read the comments at the top other than the reasons why I didn't update. They may help. **

**C ya l8r!**


	15. A New Wind of Change

**Wow, I'm like 15. This is weird. Well, now y'all know my age. OMG people are going to start stalking me now, not. If anyone did, I'd be like "why the heck did you go through the trouble of stalking ME? I'm an idiot!" Yep, that's how it would go. Oh, and to clear some things up… ahem, your attention please…**

**RIKU ISN'T DEAD?! DID YOU REALLY THINK I WAS COLD-HEARTED ENOUGHTO KILL OFF MY OWN CHARACTER?! NOOOO!! However, she will be out of action for a while. Sorry about that. There's not much I can do. SHE AIN'T DEAD, THOUGH!! Well kinda… hehehe, I'm confusing myself. Just read on.**

**I feel talkative, so, guess what? I'm adding my 'Misa' into the story. She's not very similar to Misa, but she's awesome.**

**Hehe, I've talked too much, on with the chapter!!**

**All in the Past **

L was not a marathon runner. By no means was he a marathon runner; he hated running. So, why, one might ask, was this person running miles upon miles through dark streets? The answer was simple; he was trying to find his only daughter. She could be anywhere. She could be getting killed right now, or even worse, dead. This thought only made the non-marathon runner increase his pace.

Fate is a funny thing. Fate wasn't so well for Riku, and it wasn't any better for her father. L came running to a horrible scene. The first thing he saw was Raito sitting on the ground. The next thing he saw was his daughter held in his arms, her face turned away. The next object L looked toward was Raito's distraught face and a discarded cell phone lying not too far away from the ground. Finally and slowly, L looked to Riku's face. Blank, lifeless, and dead were the words that rang through his mind like a forgotten bell ring. This was not good.

L's genius mind stopped working. There were no thoughts he could think. No thoughts that made sense. No answers to the one question the forgotten bell tolled out. Why, the bell rang. Why, the bell echoed. Why couldn't L have stopped this? Why was Raito here holding her? Why wasn't she alive? Why couldn't he come up with an answer?

"What… happened, Raito?" L forced the words from his mouth. He wanted to know, but he didn't. He needed to know, but couldn't. The words he couldn't take back, and Raito had heard them.

Raito's brain was so slow. Usually he was smarter than this. This was when he had been a Death Note owner, but he was not. Now, he was a college student, a genius of his class, and a member of the task force to catch the criminal Kira. To him, this was just L asking about a regular normal person dying, right? It's not as if L knew this girl. She was just Sayu's friend, Kari.

"Sh-she's dead, L. I was walking with her and she collapsed, and here comes the ambulance," Raito pointed out as the sirens came closer. L stood where he was, unable to say a word. Riku couldn't be dead. There was just no way. No way would Kira kill a sweet girl of thirteen, unless Raito was Kira… but would Raito really act like this and stutter? And would Riku have been walking with him if she knew he was Kira? It doesn't add up.

L was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize that he was in the hospital next to Riku on her bed. Raito was on the bed not too far away. L looked at the surroundings. White walls were all around him. Not even at Whammy's were the walls so white. They were like a deathly pale- no, L mustn't think like that. Riku couldn't be dead, could she?

"L, did you know Kari?" Raito questioned the detective. L did not respond immediately.

"Yes," here he paused again, "her real name is Riku and she was on the Kira case. My suspicion of how she died is that Kira killed her. And, Raito, she was also my daughter." Raito's eyes widened in shock. If she just died, and she was L's daughter, then Kira killed L's daughter. This only gave Raito more reason to track Kira down.

"Well, then, I guess we'll just have to find Kira, then, and see if it can be reversed," Raito said trying to stay calm. This got L thinking. Reversed? How would it be reversed? First, he needed to know how the power worked. Was it the pen or the paper that was the key? He looked at Riku. The doctors had confirmed that she was dead and not in comatose. Did she have the pen or paper on her? L can't check with Raito here.

"Raito, would you be as kind as to leave for a little bit?" L asked not making eye contact. Raito understood that a father would want to be alone in a time like this and left to get some coffee. L used this time to look for the pen or paper. He first checked her stomach, and found neither the pen nor the paper, but a marking. An indent was on her skin indicated by two perpendicular lines. That means it was the paper or notebook! All Riku went through didn't go to waste. L now knew for certain what he was looking for. The only question now was where was it?

"Hm? I wonder what this could be?" a voice spoke in the dark of night. Hands had just picked up a notebook. A seemingly regular notebook that actually possessed a special power. When a name was written in this notebook, known to many as the Death Note, the person would die. There was only one exception to this rule, but it required something no human possessed.

The hands that picked up the notebook wondered at what it could be. Could it really be what the name implies? Is it really a "notebook of death," or is it a silly prank? Walking in the dark night, there was only one thing left to do. Mizuki Shikai would have to test the notebook out.

Mizuki got home and locked her door. She never knew who could be out there. The world was unsafe. It was for this reason she believed in Kira. He was the justice that would purge the 

world of evil. Mizuki believed this truth. She believed in Kira. For her to get the Death Note was the ultimate. Now she would finally be able to help Kira.

With the TV turned on, and sitting on her nice, comfortable couch, Mizuki flipped through the channels until she came upon the latest news. They had finally found a criminal they had been searching for a long time. His name was Haru Shikai, and he was charged with the murder of a child and the abuse of his child. He has been running from the law for a while, but Kira would stop that. Or, to be more precise, Mizuki would.

Swiftly she took out a pen and wrote down the name Haru Shikai. She looked under the cover and it told her that he would die in forty seconds of a heart attack. She could write more detail and the cause of death she read, but she didn't want to. Mizuki Shikai wanted this person dead. She wanted him dead as fast as possible. It would be more satisfying for her to torture him, but she just wanted him gone. After what he did to her and to her friend, he needed to be killed.

Mizuki looked on as the reporter announced that he had died.

"Hehe, so this is real? Given to me by Kira, no doubt. Don't worry, Kira, I will continue to kill criminals," Mizuki spoke aloud to no one in particular. She didn't know that someone was listening in the corner. He had been there a while, hiding. Now, after she had used the Death Note, he decided to make his appearance.

"Having fun?" the figure in the corner asked. It was none other than Ryuk, the Shinigami. At first Mizuki was scared. Soon enough she calmed down. She did not fall off the couch, nor did she flinch in the least when she saw Ryuk. Subconsciously, she knew something came with using the Death Note.

"Yes, I am having fun, thank you. So, I assume there is a catch to using it. I'm telling you right now, though, that I don't intend to give this notebook up," Mizuki stated to the Death God. Ryuk looked at her in amusement. She's different from Raito. This girl is much different from Raito. She says she doesn't want to give the Death Note up, although she doesn't even know if there's a cost to using it.

"There is no catch except that when you die you can go to neither Heaven nor Hell. Also, I will be writing your name to kill you." Mizuki nodded. She accepted whatever it was to use this notebook. She would do whatever it takes to help in the purging of evil. She wasn't obsessed with Kira, more with the idea that the world is evil, and using this power she'd fulfill her wish.

"Well, that's good because I believe in neither Heaven nor Hell," Mizuki started speaking getting up to walk and she talked, "I thought that I was just going to die and that'd be it. To learn I'm not going there anyway isn't that much of a surprise. Actually, I'm interested in what happens when I die. That will have to wait, as I have to rid the world of evil."

"So, you're a Kira follower?" Ryuk asked cocking his head to the side. Mizuki smiled at him.

"Not really, we just have the same beliefs. I suppose that you followed Kira before. Can you answer a question, then?" Ryuk gave a small laugh. Boy, was this girl funny! Already she's asking favors. "Of course," Mizuki continued, "you'd get something in return. As long as it's no blood or anything, I'm fine with it."

"Apples. The original Kira had delicious apples," Ryuk explained. Mizuki smiled and moved to grab some apples from the fridge. She tossed two at the Shinigami. He ate both happily. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"Who was the original Kira?" This question intrigued Ryuk. Why would it benefit her? Then again, he wasn't allowed to tell secrets. She did just give him TWO apples. Raito only ever gave him one. Maybe this girl wasn't so bad.

"His name was Raito Yagami, and he has no memory of being Kira," Ryuk told her simply. Mizuki nodded. All she could do right now was write the names of criminals in the Death Note. She sat down at a table, took out a pen, and logged onto her computer. She didn't have any fear of anyone watching her. Her father is dead, and her mother had divorced from her a long time ago. She paid money to her, but didn't want a whole lot to do with her. Mizuki was "a mistake." She lived in her small apartment paid for by her mother. Life wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard.

Time flicked on by as Mizuki wrote ten names of new popular criminals down. That detective, L, would try to track her down soon. As long as she didn't get conceited and rash, L would never find her. She did have to provoke him, though. She can't ignore L, but she can't get too rash. This will be tricky.

"Hey," Ryuk grabbed Mizuki's attention from the writing of names, "why do have three more apples?" Mizuki looked at her left to where she had placed the other apples on the table. It took her a moment to remember why she took them out, but it came back.

"Another bribe for you," Mizuki stated simply. Ryuk didn't know if he liked this bribe or not without even hearing it. "You don't have to take it, but is there a way to reverse killing someone? Such as if I wrote down a name on accident and killed a person, is there a way to undo it?" Mizuki faced the Death God as she said this, wanting to know his reaction. He smiled. Raito had never asked about this. There IS a way. No human can do it on their own, though. It doesn't require the eyes either. Ryuk reached into a pouch and pulled something small out.

"I'll trade you 'this' for those three apples, how about that?" Mizuki agreed and tossed him the three apples. In return, he threw what he held in his hand at her. She caught it and looked at what lay in her hands. It was small and called the "Death Eraser." Mizuki smiled at the name and put it aside, for now. She would probably never use it, but it was always good to have around.

L had gone home. Riku wasn't going to be cremated or have anything done to her. L needed to confirm she wasn't coming back. She could still come back for all L knows. It's not like Kira would make a criminal he killed come back to life. There could still be a way to save her, and L wasn't going to give up.

"L, what happened," Aizawa took L from his thoughts and back into reality. The task force sat around the table. L had yet to tell them about Riku. He had been prolonging saying it. To say it aloud meant that it was true. He had to say it though and face reality.

"Riku," L began slowly, "was killed by Kira." A shocked silence fell over the task force. Matsuda got up and left quietly. L nodded and accepted that. Matsuda could get emotional. The only one that didn't look shocked was Raito because he was right there when she died. He experienced it first hand; her breath leaving her forever. The thought made his fists clench and he vowed to take revenge on Kira for killing her. (a/n let's see how that works, Raito, taking revenge on yourself).

"Oh, and Raito, I almost fully suspect you to be Kira, seeing as you were the last person to be with her before she died," L informed Raito. Raito's feelings of despair now turned to anger. Even though his daughter was just killed, he still thinks about the Kira case?!

"Yes, I know I was with her last, but I was, I was…" Raito trailed off. He couldn't finish the sentence. He can't clearly remember what he was doing. He was with Kari and then everything was blurry. There was talking and her tackling him, and then waking up to her hands being tied. She had told him about a false cop, one that Raito vaguely remembers.

"You were what, Raito?" L questioned.

"I can't remember. There's something blocking it," Raito tried explaining. L looked at him in wonder. Is it possible that he can't remember if he was Kira? If Riku had hid the paper/notebook so that Raito didn't have it and he used to be Kira, is it possible that he doesn't remember? That would complicate things a lot. It would be better if Raito at least remembered being Kira so L could learn about this paper/notebook.

"I would like you to be placed under lock down, Raito, is that alright?" L asked, but there was no room for anything other than the okay. L had a very good reason to do this, but Raito wasn't Kira! He would NEVER kill Riku! (a/n Hm… I wonder about that).

"Is there any other way, L?" Aizawa cried standing out of his chair, his hands pounded on the table as he did. The group stared at him. "I know you're upset because of Riku, but how can you be so sure it was Raito that killed her?! You cannot just assume these things."

"I cannot ignore the fact that Raito has shown repeated signs of being Kira. The fact that he was the last one with Riku is also suspicious. He will be placed under lockdown. Watari, will 

you please get 'that' for me?" L explained his thinking. He left no room for question in his explanation and Aizawa sat down calmly. He was still fuming, but he could do nothing about L's decision.

"L, L!!" Matsuda came in bursting through the door. Everyone turned their heads to look at him. He looked crazy. "On the news a criminal died…"

"Yes, Matsuda, Kira probably has a line of criminals to die, since he uses a notebook," L clarified to the rest of the group. This piece of information was new to them, but it seemed like Matsuda wasn't finished.

"But, L! The criminal was only found today, this night less than an hour ago! And he was killed almost instantly by a heart attack." Now L seemed interested. Matsuda continued on saying, "his name was Haru Shikai." L nodded at everyone to research who this criminal was. Raito was going to follow when L reached over and grabbed his hand. Raito looked at him curiously when Watari came in with handcuffs. (a/n hehe. I wanted to add them in somehow because I find it funny when they're chained together. I'm evil, I know it.)

"What are those for?" Raito asked backing away a little.

"This is what I meant by lockdown, Raito. From here on, I will be chained to you, until I am convinced that you are not Kira. You do not have to agree to this, but I will continue to suspect you of being Kira if you don't agree. What would you like to do, Raito?" This was unlike when L usually asked a question. There was a choice here. Neither of the options was good, but what goes around comes around. Raito made his choice and took a deep breath.

"Fine. I agree."

**I would like to say right now, NO THIS IS NOT AN L RAITO FANFIC!! For all of you that want to read one, it's not here. And I know Riku is dead. She is. Her heart has stopped beating, but hey. Just continue reading people. I'm not going to totally wipe her out. I'm not cold-hearted… okay I may be cold-hearted, but not because of that!! I make no sense.**

**C ya l8r!**


	16. Getting Ready

**OK! If you read chapter 15 within a day of me putting it up, please go back and re-read the ending. I accidentally put Mr. Yagami in there, WHO IS DEAD, and I went back and changed after my first reviewer came around. THANK YOU Tootsiepop254! So, how'd everyone like Mitsuki? She's basically what I'd be like if I had a Death Note. Riku is the person that I'd be in Death Note. They're both me. YAY!! I'm also switching L for Ryuuzaki because I got a review wanting me to, and I've wanted to switch them, but never found the time. So, starting now I will!! And I've talked enough, on with the chapter! **

**All in the Past**

Raito has gone through hell for the past week or so. Kira is still as untraceable as ever. Until Raito finds Kira, he cannot be fully cleared of his suspicion. He is no longer the top suspect, but only for one reason. For the past couple of days, he has been under twenty-four hour surveillance. In other words, he's been chained to the one person that could annoy him the most, Ryuuzaki A.K.A.; L.

"Did you find anything yet, Raito?" Ryuuzaki questioned the annoyed teen. He's been up for forty hours straight with little activity. Raito is used to going to school, which he can't, or going out for errands, which someone else does, or moving around at all, which is prevented by the fact he's chained to Ryuuzaki.

"No, I haven't," Raito replied. Raito's also noticed that Ryuuzaki's been more irritable lately, more than likely because of Riku, so Raito doesn't say anything. He knows that it must have been hard to learn that Kira killed your daughter that you met only a few months ago. Raito can't even imagine what that was like. Sure, his father was killed, but your daughter? That must hurt, and for some reason, when Raito learned that they found Mr. Yagami's body dead, he wasn't all that surprised. He was sad, but not surprised.

While he continued searching through newspapers for any signs of who Kira might be, he went over past information. It was odd, but looking at the information he received, he even suspected himself of being Kira. All evidence pointed to him whether he wanted to admit it or not. He couldn't be Kira, though, he'd definitely remember killing people. He'd never actually kill people in the first place, or would he?

Raito shook the thought out of his head and concentrated on the task at hand. Ryuuzaki watched Raito curiously, as he went through his work. At points, his gaze would blank out, lost in thought, and then he'd start shaking his head. Ryuuzaki would question him about this, but that could lead to more irritations than he wanted to handle. Ryuuzaki knew that the teen was having a battle within him, and he didn't want to have any part of it.

"Ryuuzaki, who was Kira' first criminal that was killed after Riku?" Raito asked. He knew who it was, but he wanted clarification. Ryuuzaki didn't even move from his spot at the computer.



"It was Haru Shikai. He had a daughter and divorced from his wife three years ago. He was going to be charged with the crime of abuse of his daughter and murder of a boy, who was his daughter's friend," Ryuuzaki said monotonously. He had already told Raito this before, so shouldn't he have remembered that? They thought Riku had the Death Note and got rid of it, so when they heard a criminal died of a heart attack, they knew that someone else must have the Death Note. The first person to be killed was Haru Shikai. For the reason that Riku was in possession of the Death Note for a time, they think that this person is a different Kira from the original. Moreover, this is the reason that Raito is still under suspicion in the first place.

"Have we met with his daughter, Mitsuki Shikai yet? Maybe she could tell us about people that didn't like her father and would want to kill him," Raito told Ryuuzaki. It was a good idea to do this as it could give them some clues as to who Kira is, and give Raito the opportunity to move. Raito desperately wanted an excuse to move around and get out of the apartment.

"Hm, I suppose we haven't yet," Ryuuzaki mused looking away from his computer and spinning around in his chair to see Raito, "Matsuda and Aizawa, would you please meet with Miss Shikai and ask her about her dad and people that knew him? Your objective is to find people that would have a reason to kill him." Matsuda and Aizawa looked up from their work and nodded, happy to get a reason to get out of the hellhole. They got their jackets and I.D. and left out the door. Raito watched them go, ruefully thinking that he was supposed to leave and not them.

Over the past week, Mitsuki has been killing a number of criminals every day. She went online and found the big ones that she could, and then hacked into the police office's main headquarters and took some from there. She knew how to hack since her mom and dad were never around, and she had a computer. At an early age she became fascinated with computers, and taught herself to hack. To her, hacking was what a computer was used for. Later on she learned that it was wrong, but by then she didn't care. She never got caught and never had any consequences, (a/n I am NOT promoting hacking! It's just a little indirect characterization of her).

She created a nice place to hide the Death Note in. Quickly she realized the danger of carrying it around when someone almost touched it. Hers was not as elaborate as Raito's, but pretty well thought out. Later in life, she'd have to change it, but it was good for now. In her room, she put the Death Note in her topmost drawer of her bureau, her underwear drawer. It was under a false bottom that a regular diary sat on top of. It was one she used when her parents were going through their divorce.

Mitsuki sighed at memory and tucked her short blond hair behind her ear. She was going to get up and get the Death Note, when the doorbell rang. No one except her best friend, who died, and her mother knew where she lived, so who could it be? She looked through the peephole of her locked door to see who it was. There was a man in his early thirties with short black hair and another in his late thirties with brown hair. They looked like police officers.



Mitsuki tried to stay calm. There was no way they knew about the Death Note, so they must be here for something else. Mitsuki took a deep breath, smoothed out her short brown skirt, fixed her shirt collar of her uniform, and opened the door partially with the chain on.

"Um, excuse me, who is this?" Mitsuki asked in a quiet voice. She knew it was best to play the shy innocent girl. After all, that's what they'd expect from a girl who was abused. Mitsuki was a great actress, like some other Death Note user…

"Oh, this is the police. We came to ask you about your father, Mr. Haru Shikai," a voice, the younger man she guessed, from behind her large door told her. Mitsuki was smart. There was no way that she would believe them just like that. I mean, she knew they were the police, but it's standard procedure to ask to have them show you their badge and I.D.

"H-How do I know you're the police?" Mitsuki uttered after trying to figure out the right words to say. Matsuda was ready to show her his I.D. when Aizawa stopped him. Matsuda gave him a questioning glance before remembering that Ryuuzaki told them not to show their I.D. to anyone. They don't know who might be watching.

"Here's my badge," Matsuda showed the badge between the door and Mitsuki so she could see clearly it was not a fake. Mitsuki frowned behind her mask of shyness. She wanted to see their idea in case she needed to kill them. Not anytime soon, of course. That would bring too much suspicion to her.

"You could have stolen it," Mitsuki muttered. That was very unlikely, but she wanted to see their I.D. so badly she would try a lame trick like that.

"We could have stolen the I.D. as well, then, couldn't we?" Aizawa countered. Defeated as she was, Mitsuki let them in. The door unlocked, the two men wandered in, the shy girl led them to the couch, and they sat. The bare walls caught their sight first. Wouldn't a family house have pictures of the family or any pictures at all? There was a bookshelf crammed with books, and a table in front of them. There was no TV, but a newer computer sat on a desk not too far away. Mitsuki left them momentarily to go to the kitchen to make some tea. It is the polite thing to do when you have guests. It is also a great excuse to think in private.

"Think, Mitsuki, think! Did you do anything that might lead them to suspect you?! You killed your own father, but he was a criminal. Not too much to go by there. As long as I don't get cocky, I should be good," Mitsuki prepped herself up so as not to lose herself and screw up. Screw-ups in the early stages of a plan can lead to complications later. Killing her own father first was pretty risky, she needs to be more vigilant.

When the tea was ready, Mitsuki brought it to the table and poured it into three cups. They drank the first sip in silence. Mitsuki could feel the tension around her building. It would crush her if she hadn't prepared herself. She did, though, and that is why she can be Kira without having a mental breakdown.

"I'll get straight to the point," Aizawa started, since Matsuda made no move to start anything, "we want to know about your father. Any reason that he might have been killed, other than the initial and obvious one, and anyone that might kill him." Mitsuki nodded saying that she understood. The police officers sighed in relief. It seemed like she would comply, which would save them the trouble of forcing her if she didn't.

"I understand what you're saying, but I don't think I'll be able to help," Mitsuki confessed twiddling with her thumbs. Blond bangs covered her face as Aizawa and Matsuda looked crestfallen. They thought when she nodded she could help them, and when Mitsuki saw this she felt the need to continue. "My dad, h-he kept me in the dark about a lot of things. I can only remember b-bits and pieces of what he told me. He told me things when he was d-drunk, so I can't be sure that they're v-very reliable." The two gentlemen nodded politely. They didn't know how to react to statements such as those, but they thought that nodding was a polite thing to do.

"Anything you tell us may be helpful, so try your best," Matsuda encouraged the timid girl on. Mitsuki looked at them to see their reactions. Matsuda was totally buying into what she was saying, and she could control him very easily. The other man was harder to crack. She needed to say more sappiness along with mentioning the guy her father didn't like, and that guy didn't like her father either. Her father actually cheated him out of 100,000 dollars in gambling one time. This guy definitely had a reason to kill Mr. Shikai.

"Well, there was one person m-my father mentioned a lot," Mitsuki began looking at anywhere but at the police officers. When she stole a small glance at them, she saw that the police officers now had their full attention on the girl. If she didn't look so innocent with large green eyes and a petite frame, they might have suspected something, but there was no suspicion. Taking a deep breath Mitsuki went on, "His name was Yuki Karai. Like my father, he was a d-drunk. I know this because he c-came over here before, drunk with my father. They were good friends for a w-while I suppose, but then my dad cheated him out of 100,000 dollars in gambling. Mr. Karai was f-furious, but couldn't get any proof on my dad. I know my dad did it because he t-told me how happy and proud he was that he a-accomplished the theft. Oh, I'm sorry I didn't tell the police about this, but after that he th-threatened me that if I told he'd hurt me. Don't think that my father was always a bad person, though!! Before Mom left, he was very nice, but then she cheated on him with another guy and left, b-broke his heart, and left him with me. That was two years ago that she left, and he became a drunk. Is that good?"

The officers nodded and stopped the recorder Mitsuki just realized was there. Behind her mask, she swore. They had a voice recording now and could match the frequency to hers later if they needed to. This could create complications later on. On the other hand, it could just cause her to do a little more work than she wanted to. This one seemed more likely. What they didn't know was that she recorded them as well. This whole room was bugged with cameras in case someone did find out about the Death Note and took it from her. She would know who did it and get back at them.



Putting that aside, Matsuda was playing in the palm of her hand. Aizawa seemed to have fallen for her innocent girl act after her emphatic speech. She used hand gestures where appropriate and her eyes showed all the emotion she was creating. This was only on the mask, but it fooled them. She'd have to try harder when she got to L, but for now this was good. Mitsuki smirked inwardly and told herself she should join the drama club, she would be a star.

"Thank you, Miss Shikai, that is enough. It must be hard for you to talk about these things, but this good enough for now. If we have any more questions I hope you will cooperate with us again," Aizawa explained to the petite girl and handed her a card with his cell phone number on it in case she had anything she remembered. Mitsuki gave them a weak smile and twiddled with her fingers.

"I will do my best when the time comes," Mitsuki consented. She led them out the door and waved them goodbye. The second they turned the corner she shut the door and reverted to her normal, logical self. She wasn't really normal compared to other girls, but what she was in front of the police officers is not her normal. Normally, she'd play mind games with them until she learned all that she wanted to, but no. She was forced to play a timid girl that couldn't save herself if she cried. Mitsuki may have started out like that, hiding her wounds and being secretive, but she gave that up when she met him.

Shaking her head, Mitsuki threw the memory from her mind to pick up later. Those memories would have to wait for another time. Not here, and not now. Right now, she needed to retrieve the Death Note from its hiding place. It was getting late and there were criminals on the loose that needed to be cleaned up from the Earth like the scum that they truly are. If they weren't cleaned up, others might start thinking committing crimes is okay; they needed to be cleaned early on. Then there was also the card that Aizawa gave her...

Ryuuzaki sat on his chair in concentration in front of a blank computer screen. Who could this new Kira be? This is under the assumption that the possession of the Death Note, a name he decided to call the notebook, can change ownership, which seems logical. It is a notebook, and thus can travel from person to person. This makes sense. The notebook falls and someone else picks it up, but that leads to the question of who picked it up. It must be someone that lives around the region. Ryuuzaki cannot think of any name in particular around there.

Earlier, he looked up the residents of that area to see who was most likely to pick it up. None of them seemed particularly able to be Kira, but then again not everyone is a genius. He couldn't be too careful though, and decided not to disclude anyone. Ryuuzaki sighed. He was getting nowhere, and that only lowered his confidence at a rate of 1.3 per cent every hour he didn't come up with something. His confidence was at 28 per cent now. It would not be long before there was none and heading into the negatives.

Ryuuzaki was in this mood when Matsuda and Aizawa came back. Hopefully, he thought turning around to face the newly entered pair, they had learned something from Mitsuki. From the expressions they wore, they had some news of Kira.

"Did Miss Shikai disclose anything of importance?" Ryuuzaki questioned. Eagerly, Matsuda nodded and went over in detail what Mitsuki said. Aizawa corrected him on a few parts, but let him say most of it. Where was Raito in all of this? He was sleeping. It was 10:00 when they came in and Raito had been up for a _long_ time. He was not used to staying up for hours as Ryuuzaki was. He needed sleep and used a not so comfy computer chair to sleep on.

Ryuuzaki began working again right away, not caring whether Raito was awake or not. Ryuuzaki didn't understand how Raito could sleep when they was so much work to be done. Extensive research on this "Yuki Karai" needed to be done. Ryuuzaki would find out about this person and see if he had any quality of what was needed to be Kira. Then again, he didn't know this new Kira's personality, so that could be a challenge. As soon as the computer was booted up, Ryuuzaki began the start of the long night, with a large chocolate cake by his side.

It was nearing midnight when one of the confiscated cell phones started to ring. All cell phones that any member of the task force carried were left in a basket so that no one could use them to leak information if they were being controlled by Kira. They were left on in case an important call came in, maybe from a distressed family member. Annoyed, Ryuuzaki woke up a distressed Raito and moved to take the call. Raito, still half-asleep, followed Ryuuzaki to the cell phone basket. Whoever it was on the other line, he could make something up to satisfy them for the moment.

"Hello?" Ryuuzaki held the phone with his thumb and index finger. He disguised his voice and waited for the person on the other end to answer him. Raito was next to him, also listening on to the other line. The voice that answered them wasn't who they expected it to be.

"Hello, is this L? If you are, say so. This is Kira talking. Don't ask how I got this number; let's just say I have connections." Both Ryuuzaki and Raito went on high alert. They are talking to Kira, whose voice they assume is a man's, early thirties. It sounded awfully familiar, kind of high pitched, but who? "If you don't start talking, heads will start rolling." Now came the problem to Ryuuzaki and Raito, how should they respond to this call?

**HA! A cliffy. Although it is QUITE obvious who the person is. Or it should be. OMG! It's done. I'm so very sorry about the long update!! I started typing this a long time ago, but things kept coming up, (coughhomeworkcough) and the fact that I had missed a couple days so work just piled on and on and it NEVER STOPPED. When I finally had everything done, it was nearing the end of lacrosse season and I needed to put effort into that, and you don't care do you? You don't. How sad. Hoped you enjoyed the chapter, though!! Kind of a la-di-dah chapter, but it's setting up for bigger ones to come. Just hang in there!**

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW!! Reviews make me happy!! Happy me means I review faster. Reviewing faster means you know what is going on.**

**C ya l8r!**


	17. Fateful Meeting

**OMG!! I can't believe that I'm already on chapter 17! YAY! I would like to thank all the people that have reviewed, and YELL AT EVERYONE THAT HASN'T!! **

**I'm not going to say that I'm sorry for making a late update because only three people reviewed the last chapter. 3!! I waited and waited, and got exceedingly discouraged. Is it because of Riku?! Was she the end all factor? Did killing her REALLY make people hate me!? I added in my other OC!! I thought that she would be enough to tide people over!! However, I'm wrong. Therefore, I had to adjust my plans completely to fit my reader's wants. Hope you're happy. It may come out cruddy now, but thank you Kiikii-no-squeaky-chan, missingthepoint, and JainaZekk621 for reviewing thus giving me the courage to pull out another chapter. I'm not thanking you duckie because you gave up on me!!**

**Disclaimer: I haven't had a disclaimer in the while, so I will make this the last one… I DON'T OWN DEATH NOTE!! AND I NEVER WILL!! Soooo sad**

**All in the Past **

"I don't have all day, I am a very busy person and heads will start rolling if I do not get a response soon," Kira kept on talking. Raito and Ryuuzaki were battling with each other now. Ryuuzaki wanted to tell the person that he was L, but Raito thought that he shouldn't. He expressed this by shaking his head. L glared in response saying that he felt that he should say that he was L, and in a moment, L made the decision.

"This is L." Here Raito gave up and sighed. He knew that he wouldn't beat Ryuuzaki, but gave a valiant effort anyway. "How can I be sure that this is Kira?" Ryuuzaki answered the man on the other line. Ryuuzaki and Raito heard a pause on the other end. They waited to see what he would say next.

"I could kill someone around you, say, Raito Yagami? Would that be enough proof?" Kira taunted the pair. Raito's eyes bugged out when they said that. Kira knew who he was. Why? Why did Kira know who he was? There was no way that Raito could know the reason since he does not remember being Kira, nor the existence of Ryuk. Ryuuzaki could not take the chance of Kira killing Raito. Not only was he the former Kira suspect, but also an important member of the task force.

"I believe you, so what is it that you want?" Ryuuzaki continued. Even though Ryuuzaki could not see Kira, he knew that he was smiling.

"Why, I would like to meet with you, L. Do you have any problems with this?" Kira taunted him yet again, "Because if you do, heads around you might start to roll." Ryuuzaki knew what was going on; and he didn't like it. Kira was blackmailing him with the lives of the task force, or more specifically, Raito's. Ryuuzaki doesn't know how this new Kira, well supposedly new, that Ryuuzaki had any connection with Raito, but he could not chance his life. He already chanced his father's and now he was dead.

Raito knew what was going on as well. He knew that he was being used as bait to lure out L, but there was not a thing that he could do about it. How was he supposed to keep his identity a secret like L can keep his?! All of his life has been outside where people can see his face. There was no avoiding this.



"Where would you like to meet?" Ryuuzaki spoke into the phone. After a minute of silence, the voice on the other end came to life once more.

"Morishima Park, the fountain, at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday." After that, the line went dead. Ryuuzaki sighed. This was going to be troubling. Any wrong move and Kira could have killed the task force. That would have been very troubling. After setting the phone back in the basket and moving to take his seat and try to find more information and Kira once again, Ryuuzaki noticed that Raito had not moved.

"Is something the matter, Raito?" the detective asked. Raito's glazed over eyes stared in wonder, but he seemed to wake up from a stupor when Ryuuzaki called him and sat back down again to continue his quest to find Kira. Ryuuzaki was worried about him; he was just told that he could be killed at any time. There was nothing more to be done, though, and he went back to work, his confidence now at 37 per cent.

"WHEW!" Mitsuki sighed after hanging up the phone. The voice changer mask she created worked quite well. Using a couple different programs, a Darth Vader mask she bought, and voice clippings from one of those detectives, the younger one, she created a false voice to use. She never planned to kill Raito even if L disagreed for two reasons. One was that he was the first Kira and he may be used later on, and the second was that she did not believe in killing innocent people. If a detective ever found her, she would not be able to kill him because he had done nothing wrong. All he did was believe in his justice as she is.

"That was an interesting way to contact L," Ryuk noted after the call was over. Mitsuki shrugged. She would do whatever to get what she wanted, and she wanted to talk to L. She got bored, and decided to look through the Death Note. Looking into the Death Note, she saw two names that were written down that she was curious about.

The first was Raito's father. Soichiro Yagami was written in the Death Note, followed by suicide. After that were details that Mitsuki didn't bother to read. What she wanted to know was why Raito killed his father. Did he come too close to finding his secret? From what Mitsuki could find online, he was a police officer. After hacking into secret computers, she learned that he was in charge of the Kira case. This means Raito had access to what they were doing for some time. Mitsuki concluded that Mr. Yagami indeed became too close to the Death Note, and Raito was forced to kill his own father.

Another curious name was the last one before Mitsuki received the Death Note; Hime Chousen. No matter how much Mitsuki searched online, nothing of importance showed up about this person other than when her birthday was and who her parents were. Lawliet was the name of the father and Minna was the name of her mother. There was also her place of birth, but nothing else. According to her birthday, she should have been 13 when she died. From all the detail that were written down, Raito had a hard time trying to get this person to die, as he lead her through such an intricate trap, ultimately leading with her death. This person had no criminal record that was found, so she must have come too close to the Death Note.

"Ryuk, what would it take for you to tell me who this Hime Chousen was?" Mitsuki asked swiveling around in her chair to face the Death God. Ryuk stared at her blankly.

"Hyuk, hyuk, you can have fun trying to figure that out on your own," Ryuk responded cackling. Mitsuki pouted, but gave up. She couldn't rely on the Shinigami for everything. That could lead to _her_ death in the end. All she could do was prepare a nice costume for Wednesday.

As Wednesday came around Ryuuzaki was busy making plans and speculating what Kira might be planning. He's done nothing to give Ryuuzaki any clues about his personality, so there were many scenarios that needed to be set up as well as responses to all of those scenarios. Ryuuzaki sat on his chair eating pudding as he thought about these things. Raito was next to him, watching him think and eat pudding.

"Ryuuzaki do you plan on letting me come with you to meet Kira?" Raito asked. Ryuuzaki, in the midst of coming up with scenarios and responses, had not given Raito much thought. Surely, it would be better if Raito did not come along, but if he was indeed Kira beforehand, as he had originally thought, he might be conspiring with the current Kira, in which case, he would need to be watched.

"Yes, Raito you will be coming still chained as we are now. Is there a problem with that?" Ryuuzaki answered eyeing the man next to him. Raito looked bored before, but now somewhat excited that he was coming along. Ever since Riku's death, he seems more… innocent than before.

"No, none at all, Ryuuzaki." After asking that, Raito started his own planning of what to do when he meets Kira. Ryuuzaki almost laughed, but composed himself and went back to his own thinking. Little did they know how much that they looked alike sitting side by side. (a/n don't ask. I just got bored).

Mitsuki was waiting at the park at the designated time. She was actually there ten minutes earlier. Even though she's the current Kira, she's still a kid eager to meet the famous L. The costume that she made had black pants and a loose-fitting black t-shirt. She wore black gloves to hide her delicate hands. Mitsuki wore a purple cape for effect and a Darth Vader mask made into a racing helmet. It looked odd, but it was worth it. There was no way to tell her gender, but L may be able to figure out her general age range. That didn't really bother her, though.

Mitsuki stood in front of the fountain, an angel holding a bucket that poured water out of it. She never got why fountains always showed angels. How is water related to an angel? Is water holy? Priests do use water for christenings, but who decided that? Everyone seems to accept that water is holy as a fact, just as killing people is wrong. Mitsuki didn't believe in that, though. In fact, she was an atheist.

Her thoughts became interrupted when L and Raito walked over. L was wearing a mask, and Raito had a grey hooded sweatshirt on. Mitsuki was unable to tell that Raito was Raito, but was able to figure out that L was L because he was the one leading the both of them. For all Mitsuki knew, the person next to L could be a criminal. However, she had to be sure.

"I am Kira, now which one of you is L?" she questioned. Ryuuzaki was in no position to question her that she wasn't Kira, and so played along.

"I am L."

"Who is the person chained to you? A criminal or a suspected Kira?" This would be something interesting to remember; a man chained to L. Now, Ryuuzaki was debating what to say. When he was in the process of thinking, Raito answered for him.



"I am Raito Yagami. What is it that you want Kira?" Raito had decided beforehand not to hide his identity. He wouldn't show his face because Kira could only kill with a name and a face and he could have been bluffing before. Many people knew his name, but not what he looked like.

"Oh, thank you, Raito. Do you hope that hiding your face will prevent me from killing you? I know what you look like, but go ahead; keep that false hope. As for what I want, I want some answers," Mitsuki answered, the voice changer masking her voice. She spoke in a higher pitch tone to make her voice match her younger appearance. Mitsuki was short, so a high voice will match her.

"What do you want to know?" L asked this time, giving Raito a look from under the mask to shut up. Depending on what Kira wants, Ryuuzaki will act differently. Asking for his name or face is a definite no, but other things he may be able to tell Kira. Ryuuzaki would just have to wait and find out.

"Why, L, I just want to know what your face looks like," Mitsuki started, prepared for L's blatant no, which came in matter of seconds. Mitsuki smiled under the mask and continued on with what she was saying, "I am willing to do something for you. I have a feeling you know what I do to kill people, yes?" Ryuuzaki didn't know what she was planning, but would withhold as much information as he could. Letting Kira knows that he knows something is not a good idea.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You look at someone's face and if you know their name, you kill them." Raito was hanging back watching the conflict. All he could do was try to get a third person perspective. He was on Ryuuzaki's side, but maybe looking at it from afar would help.

"Oh. Well, in this case I'll help you out a lot," Mitsuki pronounced reaching into a slot in her cape. L went wide-eyed behind his mask. Kira was taking out the Death Note. Even though Kira knew neither his name nor his face, it was still scary. "But first, I want you to take off your mask."

Raito looked back again from his third person perspective. L didn't even know what Mitsuki had under the coat, it could be a gun! Taking off his mask would leave his face an open target to be shot at. There was no way Raito could let L go through with this.

"Kira, show us what you have first, and then L will take off his mask," Raito declared, standing his ground. Mitsuki was amused at what Raito was doing. Did he really think that she had a gun? Then again, he didn't know that she is only thirteen years old. He suspects her to be in her twenties and perfectly capable of using a gun.

"Alright, I'll take what I have in my cape and put it on the ground in front of me. I can't kill you right now anyway, there are still some things I want to ask you," Kira complied taking out the Death Note. L couldn't see it clearly because Kira partly hid it with his cape. After laying it on the ground, Kira put his hands up to show that he held nothing. L knew that Kira wouldn't kill him even if he had a gun because he wanted answers, but this was just as well. (a/n I will call Kira a man because L and Raito think that Kira is a man even if Kira is a girl.)

Ryuuzaki then proceeded to take off his mask. If Raito was indeed the first Kira, he had known what L looked like for a while, but was unable to kill him. This proved that Kira needed a name. that was only true if Raito was the first Kira, though. L's eyes stared into the mask of Kira. His unblinking eyes studied what was on the ground carefully. Mitsuki laughed at what L was doing

"Would you like to get a better look at it?" Kira goaded L, "if Raito is the one to hold it, you may look at it." Ryuuzaki didn't get what game this Kira was playing at. First, he wants to see his face, and now he's letting L look at the weapon used to kill people?! This doesn't make any sense to L. However, he was not going to let up a chance to see the Death Note.

"I'll do it," Raito announced going to get the Death Note. He moved cautiously, still not able to trust Kira. Who would? Kira was a murderer. He killed criminals all the time. These thoughts swirled in Raito's head as he picked up the Death Note. Upon looking at it, it looked like any other notebook. Except for the words "Death Note," Raito saw nothing special. On the inside cover was the word "Owner" followed by Kira. There were a few "How to Use" rules, but L was more interested in the contents of the book.

L saw the names of criminals written in columns on different pages. Raito flipped each page, so L could look, but on the fourth page, he suddenly froze and began screaming. L had no idea what was going on. What had made Raito go so insane? That page was no different from any other. At this moment, Mitsuki came in and took the Death Note away. L looked over at Raito to see if he was okay. His eyes, they looked different. They looked the way they did before Riku died.

"Hm, I didn't think it would do that," Mitsuki muttered to herself. L looked over at her as she muttered.

"Didn't think that it would do what?" L asked calmly. Raito seemed fine now as all the screaming was done. Mitsuki pretended to look in the Death Note and her eyes lit up behind the mask in an act. She must convince herself first if she is to fool the audience.

"Ooh, my name's still there. See L, it was testing to see if Raito would make a good Death Note owner, but he failed because my name is still there, you see?" Mitsuki explained thinking on her feet. That was total lying, but Ryuuzaki had no other choice but to believe. He knew little to nothing about the Death Note and had to accept this answer.

"Hm, I think I'll end it now with one last question," Kira said to L's blank gaze, "Do you know a person named 'Hime Chousen?'" Ryuuzaki wondered why she was asking him this. Hime was what Minna always wanted to name her daughter, so he could only assume that Kira was talking about Riku, but why would he ask him that? Is there some reason that he asked? Whatever the reason, L would refuse to tell Kira anything.

"No, I do not," Ryuuzaki replied and Kira began walking away. It was dark out and as Mitsuki was leaving, the water in the fountain stopped and lights began to glow on it. Ryuuzaki and Raito left shortly afterwards. The task force greeted them upon their return and asked how it went.

"I will tell you after I have had time to process it," Ryuuzaki responded and left them to go thinking. Raito followed him because he had no choice and he thought about what happened as well. Mitsuki was having her own thoughts.

"Whew! I didn't think that would work!" Mitsuki exclaimed to the Shinigami. Her mask was off and she was lying down on her bed in her room. "I mean, really, who would've thought that a fake Death Note would work so well! Did Raito really get his memories back?"



"Probably," Ryuk said taking a bite of the apple Mitsuki picked up on her way home. Mitsuki's main goal was to get Raito on her side again. There was only a thirty per cent chance that Raito would have actually shown up, and only a twenty per cent chance that she'd know it was him. Maybe he told her who he was subconsciously, but it doesn't matter anymore. Raito has his memories back.

"Now, what to do about Hime Chousen? I can't bring too many people back to life, but maybe just her. She was just my age when she died, and if she was after Kira, now that he remembers that he was Kira, but I really am Kira, there shouldn't be all that much of a problem. Okay, there will be a problem, but it goes against my code to have a little girl be killed!" and with that, Mitsuki got up and grabbed the Death Note. Next, she went to her drawer and picked out the item that she wanted.

"You know, she may not be the same when she comes back," Ryuk warned the girl. The only reason that he warned her at all was because he knew she wouldn't listen to him. No matter what, Mitsuki was going to erase Hime Chousen from the Death Note.

**I was planning to do that later, but just for you guys out there reading this, I'll do it now!! Whew, it's done, I can take a break. Oh, I'm not going to update until I get five reviews. Why? Because I won't get the courage to update until that happens. So all you dark readers out there had better review because I won't update!! (or I will, but it'll be in like… September) so review please!!**


	18. Check, it's Your Move

**Hehe, I'm updating. I was going to update earlier, but then I had to go to Maine, so I'm updating now-ish. And I don't have a lot else to say, but thanks for all the reviews, I was very happy!! So happy!!**

**All in the Past**

Ever since that talk with Kira, Ryuuzaki has been sitting on his chair eating sweets and thinking about what Kira said and the fact that he saw the Death Note. What could that mean? Did Kira know that he knew, or was it just that he didn't care because he was cocky? Either way he felt strong enough to show Ryuuzaki the Death Note.

Or was there something else? Raito was the only one to touch the Death Note other than Kira. Raito almost collapsed. Did Kira do something to Death Note to harm him? If he did, then why wouldn't he have L hold the Death Note and not Raito?

All these thoughts swirled in Ryuuzaki's mind as he chewed on a lollipop. Raito was next to him, planning on how to contact the current Kira. (a/n they were never really clear on how to get memories back, so I suppose a page would work. If I am wrong, meh. I am now right in my story. I do what I want.) He has his memories back, all of those about him being Kira and how Riku died, or should he say Hime Chousen. He had no real plans as of yet to contact the current Kira because he didn't know him. The only thing he could hope is that they'd try to contact him.

The rest of the task force was bustling about trying to figure out who the new Kira is. The task force cleared Raito of suspicion, Ryuuzaki still refuses to believe it, but until new evidence comes, he will remain unsuspicious. They are to continue what they normally do, and that includes checking up on Riku.

"RYUUZAKI!!" Matsuda screamed as he burst through the door. Ryuuzaki frowned at this, as did every other person in the room. They were all settled in, but he just had to come and ruin it. Everyone shook their heads and went back to what they were doing. Still, he might have something useful since he came bursting through the door screaming.

"Yes, Matsuda, what is it?" Ryuuzaki asked, clearly annoyed that he can't think anymore.

"I-It's Riku!! She's awake!!" Matsuda claimed. All heads turned towards him again, but this time they were interested. Ryuuzaki for one stood up, dragging Raito to his feet as well. Matsuda lead the way to where Riku was laying; now sitting up, in the hospital. She looked at all the people around her and blinked twice, dazed. Her hair was splayed messily around her shoulders, and she seemed so different. When her eyes began to focus in on the people entering, they hardened and she went back to normal.s

"Do you recognize us?" Ryuuzaki asked her quietly. She gazed around at the white walls, and the pictures thy had, a beach scene in one, and her eyes finally settled on the people beside 

her. It was odd for her, coming back to life like that. She thought she just fell unconscious and woke back up, but she quickly figured out that was not the case.

"Yeah, I recognize you, but what happened? I remember running out to go to Raito's house, walking into it, and meeting Raito upstairs, but everything after that is a blank and now I suddenly I wake up in a hospital. Am I hurt or sick? I-I can't remember anything," Riku trailed off looking at the ceiling. Ryuuzaki looked at her curiously. She didn't remember what happened? Not meeting Kira, nothing? She did enter Raito's house, though, so maybe… No. Ryuuzaki could not jump to conclusions, even if they seem to be the most likely. Whatever happened was most unusual. (a/n This is my fanfic and I can do what I want!! Due to all my fans wanting Riku alive again I had to make something up so that she wouldn't spoil all the fun. I am using the excuse that what is written down in the Death Note when she died she does not remember. If anyone has any problems with this please send me an email in the form of a review or whatever. Originally, Riku was going to come back at the end, so I had to make adjustments.)

"Riku, we think you met Kira, do you remember that?" Ryuuzaki informed her. She gave him a dazed look and shook her head. This works out not too well for Raito. There was no way Ryuuzaki would believe anything he said. The only thing he would believe would be the truth. So, that's exactly what he'd have to say.

"Ryuuzaki," Raito told the detective as his eyes swiveled away from his daughter the man now speaking to him, "Kari, I mean, Riku did come to my house and we chatted for some time. When I went downstairs to eat my dinner, she informed me that she was not hungry and would wait upstairs for me. When I went back upstairs, she was gone."

The room held in silence at this information. She was 'gone?' No, people don't just disappear only to reappear. That's just as absurd as… it doesn't matter; it just can't happen. The only possible solution is that Kira came and kidnapped her. This however contradicts the Raito being Kira theory, since Raito, the accused, claims to have been eating dinner at the time. So then, what happened? Ryuuzaki knew one of the two was false, but he could not tell which it was. (a/n actually, they're both true.) Ryuuzaki made mental note to check on this credit of Raito's story with his mother.

"So," Matsuda started attempting to break the silence, "Do you feel alright Riku? I must have scared you earlier when I screamed, hehe, sorry about that." Everyone sweatdropped at Matsuda's antics, and Riku even gave a small laugh. This lightened the mood up, and everyone seemed more relax. This was real; she was alive again.

However there was still one daunting thought that racked Ryuuzaki's mind; how? How did someone who was killed by a Death Note suddenly came back to life? It doesn't make any sense. There was no plausible way to bring someone back to life. Just like there was no way to kill someone with a heart attack without being there… maybe, the holder of the Death Note could bring the people that they killed back. Kira_ did_ ask about Hime Chousen, but why would 

he bring back Riku? Ryuuzaki doesn't know why but, bringing her back means that he could kill her again. Maybe that could be the reason…

"So now we're back to where we started?" one of the task members commented, wrenching Ryuuzaki from his thoughts. He turned to see the faces of his colleagues, happy that Riku was back, but down heartened that they received no lead from this.

"Yes, we are, now would everyone please go back to what they were originally doing? I would like to talk with Riku. Raito may stay," Ryuuzaki explained turning his attention back to the girl on the bed. Raito almost laughed in his head, where else would he go? He was _chained_ to Ryuuzaki. He made no mention of this and made as best attempt as possible to be invisible. Though Ryuuzaki would never actually forget about him, nor let anything slip that he did not want Raito to hear, he still tried anyway to hide.

"Riku, you were considered dead until minutes ago, did you know that? You died of a heart attack by the hands of Kira. Th-there was nothing anyone could do. You disappeared on your own, without telling anyone anything. Raito had found you dead on the sidewalk," Ryuuzaki told her, trying to keep calm. It was obvious to the two people in the room that he wanted to cry, or something along the lines, but it looked as if he didn't know how to.

Riku wanted to be strong and tell her father that it was alright, she was alive and well, but she couldn't. For days, weeks, she was dead to the world. Dead. Dead. The thing was, it was all too unreal for her. She didn't fell like she was dead, more like she slept for an entire day. To suddenly be told that Kira had killed her and Raito and even found her on the sidewalk, dead, unmoving, was too unreal to her. There is no right way to tell someone that they were dead or should be dead.

"Ryuuzaki, you have to keep it together. If you fall apart, who's going to catch Kira?" Raito reminded the man that didn't know how to cry. Quickly, Ryuuzaki regained his composure. He did look at Raito. He did not need to. He did not need to say thanks, but he did anyway. It was short and Raito almost thought he imagined it. The only reason he knew he did not imagine it was because Riku was on the verge of a giggling fit.

"So, where's Kira?" Riku asked as if it were such a casual remark. Ryuuzaki frowned slightly and began to fill her in on all that's happened. Raito would remark upon something every once in a while, earning a small glare from Ryuuzaki, but Raito kept on doing it anyway. Riku sat and listened intently to everything that was said. She never asked for clarification, but waited patiently. The minutes ticked by on the clock until they had been talking for nearly an hour, and a nurse came in to check on Riku. When she saw that Riku was up, she alerted every doctor immediately.

In seconds, every doctor in the building came flooding to this room to see the girl that lived through a Kira attack. Every doctor knew Kira killed the girl, and anyone else involved did as well. This information was never released to the public, per Ryuuzaki's request. The second 

doctors came in, Ryuuzaki took Raito and left. Riku understood and watched them leave. Reporters found out about this and tried to get a picture of her, but the doctors refused to let any unauthorized person in. Nevertheless, a good reporter always gets their scoop.

Ever since Mitsuki erased Hime Chousen's name from the Death Note, she had wanted to find her. Not to hurt her or anything. She had simply wanted to meet with the person that posed Kira, a supposed God, a threat enough to kill her with such a detailed death. Everything that was to happen had been planned. And the person, Mitsuki learned through hacking, was only a thirteen year-old girl! A thirteen year-old girl got Kira on the run.

Therefore, Mitsuki is now at a local hospital, looking for her "best friend Hime" somewhere in the hospital. The nurse informed her that there was no one by such a name and that Mitsuki should have a good day. Mitsuki sighed and went outside to board her bike to try another hospital, when a band of doctors rushed behind her, excitedly talking about something. Making sure the nurse wasn't looking; Mitsuki followed these doctors into the elevator. She dared not ask them what was going on, but opted instead to listen.

"It's a medical miracle!" one of them exclaimed. This interested Mitsuki a lot.

"To come back from the dead, it's never happened before," Another one continued. Mitsuki now thought of something. Back from the dead, like they died and then are alive? Mitsuki knew she had found what she was looking for.

They started speaking in scientific terms she didn't understand that well and then took a left when the elevator opened up on the third floor. She was about to follow them, when she saw the horde of people crowding a door at the end of the hall. She sighed inwardly and went back into the elevator. After listening to horrible elevator music for a while, Mitsuki exited the elevator and went straight for the door. Mitsuki left the building and was about to board her bike, when she noticed that there was a park behind the building. This gave Mitsuki an idea.

She rolled her bike out of view of the front door, to make it appear that she left and went to the park behind the building. She smirked as she saw scattered trees. Mitsuki regretted not having binoculars, but she did have a cell phone, which came close. She shimmied up a tree, slowly, and sat on a branch. She took out her cell phone and zoomed in on each window. Hime's window was quite easy to find, as it was crowded with people. She took a picture with her cell phone of Hime, committing it to memory as well, and jumping off the tree. She did her best not to kill herself jumping off, but failed miserably. It hurt a lot, but something else caught her attention.

A black limousine pulled up and two people entered. Her cell phone was on, and she took a blurry picture of the two people. She could see a chain of some sort between them. This and the fact that their hair was brown and black, lead her to believe that they were L and Raito. This then lead Mitsuki to believe that L did have a connection to Hime, but what could that 

connection be? She didn't really care; just knowing that he had a connection to her was all she needed to know.

Raito and Ryuuzaki arrived back at the hotel where the task force was positioned. They had planned to take Riku back with them, but that was not going to happen. Ryuuzaki immediately began making phone calls, trying to hush up the fuss about Riku, but to no avail. Raito had turned on the TV to the news, and the main story was about "The girl that came back to life." Ryuuzaki sighed, there was no hiding that fact, but they also couldn't get a picture on the girl either. No reporters were allowed into the room, as Ryuuzaki requested. He was a little worried that Kira might try to kill her again, but the new Kira didn't know her face.

Raito left the news on, tuned down to a minimum volume, and everyone went on with their work. Ryuuzaki and Raito were trying to figure out what Kira was thinking bringing Riku back to life. Ryuuzaki wanted to know if Kira was holding this against him to use later. Raito wanted to know what on earth this Kira was thinking bringing back to life someone that was killed, as well as how he did it. Ryuk never told him about reviving people.

"This just in!" the reporter on the TV announced, "we have a picture of the girl. Its quality is poor, but good job to the reporter that did this." All eyes faced the screen at this point. Sure enough, there was a picture of Riku taken not even an hour ago from looking outside the window in at her. You could see eye color, but no distinct features. Still, Ryuuzaki pondered how someone could get a picture like that. He cursed himself for not checking out the area more carefully.

"This picture was sent to this studio on a cell phone, along with a text message that read, 'I know your weakness is not only Light. Check. Your move.' We have tried tracing the text, but to no avail. If anyone knows who this sender is, please contact us at the number at the bottom of the screen," the announcer finished and went on to the subject he was previously talking about. Raito and Ryuuzaki both knew Kira directed that message to them. Light was referring to Raito's name, also pronounced Light, and the other weakness must be Riku. Check is a chess moving telling them that Kira thinks that he has the upper hand.

"Ryuuzaki," Raito talked to him, as everyone listened on, "this message was directed at us; from Kira."

"Yes, I know Raito," Ryuuzaki replied.

"He's telling us to make a move, any ideas?" Raito now questioned the genius. Ryuuzaki was alarmed. Kira knew he had a connection to Riku, how he did not know. Maybe he was hiding out, watching them in the hospital room. No, Ryuuzaki is sure that either he or Raito would have noticed someone looking at them. So, what happened? Now Riku was at risk as well.

"So," Riku coming in through the door, along with Watari, "did I miss anything?" Raito and Ryuuzaki both gave her a grave look and she sighed. On the way there, she was listening to 

the radio station, and heard that they found a picture of her, and she heard Kira's message. Whatever Ryuuzaki decided to do, it would be a long night.

**Inhale, exhale. It's done. OMG it felt like that took forever. I know it took forever to update, too, and I'm kind of sorry about that, but I'm taking three honors courses. And I'm trying to watch all of one piece. And shugo chara. And a bunch of other animes. So, yeah. My bad. OH YEAH!! If you have any questions, like if something confuses you, just tell me in a review and I'll try to explain it. Everything makes sense in my head, but it may not on paper.**


	19. Stronger Justice

**OMG I am updating. I don't know why though. I mean, I got a measly FOUR reviews last chapter. Makes me sad. No one likes this story except me. I write for my own amusement, as well as the people who read it! If no one reads it, then I lose the happiness I get writing it. Thus, it becomes dull. I'm not blaming anyone, just stating a few facts.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I would own Mello and what joy that'd be!! (Mello obsessed fangirl, woot!)**

**All in the Past**

Ryuuzaki sat in his chair pondering what to do next, absently chewing on a lollipop. Riku sat across from him, chewing her gum, overjoyed that she had gum again. Raito sat next to Ryuuzaki, still chained, deep in thought as well. None of the three could come up with a solution to anything. The new Kira could kill Riku or Raito, (his name and face could be found most anywhere in the town), at any time. This was one of the worst possible situations imaginable for Ryuuzaki. Not only were they in danger, but Kira knew his face. The only way that the situation could get worse was if Kira knew his name, no. Ryuuzaki had to stop thinking like that. There was a solution to this. There HAD to be a solution.

Raito was enjoying the situation. He glanced over at the sweet toothed detective every once in a while to see him in agitation. Since Raito had his memories, he enjoyed this. He had to admit that he was impressed by the new Kira for making it this far. Raito was confident that he could have done it better somehow, but Kira impressed him enough.

Riku had her own thoughts on this. Who was Kira and what were they like? Was Kira an older person or someone her age? From her father's description, Kira was a medium height male, early thirties. Her next question was, was Kira one of the paparazzi at her door, then? No, she reprimanded herself, none of them got in. So, how could they have taken a picture? In a rush, pictures came to her mind. She had a window in her room, over-looking a forest behind her. And that picture, could be taken from that spot.

"Dad," Riku began, trying to find her words, "Can we get copies of the hospital tapes from today?" Ryuuzaki blinked. It was a random question, but not irrelevant. He speculated that there was a chance of the person going into the hospital, but many people went into a hospital for different reasons. If Riku thought that watching these tapes would help, then he would give them to her.

"Alright, Riku," Ryuuzaki told her, and then called Watari to make arrangements for getting these tapes. They came to Ryuuzaki in less than half an hour, and were being watched by all three present in the room. The rest of the task force was trying to trace the cell phone call. They didn't seem to be getting much luck, but it was worth a try.

There was only one video camera located in the hospital; the front lobby. The beginning portion of the day was uneventful. People came in, one of them Matsuda, who came out later running frantically to report to the task force that Riku had woken up. Not too long after that, the task force arrived to see Riku. Some minutes passed, and the task force minus Ryuuzaki and Raito left the building. Soon enough, doctors swarmed the building, as well as pedestrians, all wanting to see the miracle. Riku giggled at this and Ryuuzaki glared at the screen.

When the group cleared, the lobby was empty. Then, from the elevator a girl stepped out. Two people in the room nearly fell over at who it was. It was Ms. Mitsuki Shikai. The girl whose father was killed by the Death Note first. Ryuuzaki nor Raito believed that this was coincidence. The two watched passively as she left the building. It was impossible to tell what she did after that. A few seconds later, Ryuuzaki and Raito stepped out of the hospital.

"You can stop the tape now," Ryuuzaki said aloud. Riku look baffled as to why, but Raito understood. Without protesting, Riku turned the tape off. Ryuuzaki pondered for a moment what that could mean. Did this give evidence that Mitsuki was Kira? Kira was supposedly thirty, though, not thirteen. Wait, that voice…

"Riku, please get Matsuda in here, and Watari please get the phone call from Kira," Ryuuzaki asked, commanding. Both did without question, and Ryuuzaki moved to his computer to set a few things up. Raito had no idea what Ryuuzaki was thinking. What could clumsy Matsuda have to do with this?

"Ryuuzaki, what are you thinking?" Raito asked, still trying to understand. Ryuuzaki ignored the question and waited for what he wanted to be assembled. Without delay, Matsuda stood before him, sheepishly, and he had inserted the disk of the phone call into his computer.

"Matsuda, please say 'L, I know Kira will be caught.'" Matsuda blinked, but complied.

"L, I know Kira will be caught," Matsuda said in a clear voice. Ryuuzaki nodded and then played the tape. They sounded different, but on the screen, the waves looked similar. All but Ryuuzaki stared in amazement. Ryuuzaki looked triumphant, almost arrogant.

Raito assessed quickly that this was not good. It was not good at all. After that video and this evidence, Ryuuzaki could almost confirm that Kira was Mitsuki Shikai. Not that Raito knew for a fact that it was her, but it made sense. And if they found out that it was her, then Raito would again be the number one Kira suspect.

"You may leave now, Matsuda, I just wanted this confirmed. Please don't say anything to anyone else about this right now, I will tell them later," Ryuuzaki assured Matsuda, who went on his way back to what he was doing.

"Ryuuzaki, what does this mean? Does this mean that Mitsuki Shikai is Kira?" Raito asked incredulously, pretending that he found it hard to believe that a thirteen year-old would be like this. Ryuuzaki looked at Raito now. They locked gazes for a moment, and Ryuuzaki was about to speak, when his daughter beat him to it.

"May I meet with this Mitsuki? If she was that girl in the picture, I recognize her from school. She's in the same grade as I am," Riku explained, and Ryuuzaki looked at her as if she were insane. Did she really expect him to let her near a potential Kira suspect? One that could kill her at any second? She knew this though, and had made her decision based around this fact.

"Riku, you need to understand what you are doing," Ryuuzaki tried to explain.

"Is that a yes?" Riku pressed.

"Ms. Shikai is a potential Kira suspect. One that could kill you at any second."

"So, it that a yes?"

"She will not hesitate to kill you."

"Is it a yes or no!?"

"Yes," Ryuuzaki agreed at last, not sure if she had heard him at all. Mitsuki smiled up at him, hugged him, and went to go find out where Mitsuki Shikai lived. Ryuuzaki grumbled as he fell back into his chair, smiling just a little. He had no idea why he said yes, he just could not say no. (a/n I feel like this is moving really fast, spiraling out of control right now. One thing leads to another, sigh. Ah well, c'est la vie).

"Although, it will have to wait until tomorrow, it's too late right now," Ryuuzaki informed his over-excited daughter when she came back with the address. As though she was a balloon someone just deflated, she collapsed onto the couch. Ryuuzaki chuckled and Raito smirked a little. The night wasn't over for the two of them just yet, there were many things to be checked over.

Mitsuki was home thinking what to do next. She knew it was late at night, or early in the morning, but she couldn't sleep. After she issued that challenge to L, she couldn't help but wonder how he'd respond. Her assumption of him was that he'd take on the challenge, so she'd have to be prepared for almost anything he could throw at her.

As she lay in her bed, she ran over the day, wondering if she left any trails behind. She made sure not to mention her name to the nurse or to anyone else, and no one would remember her face. The only way someone would have remembered her face was if they took a picture or if they had a camera. That thought sent an alarm through Mitsuki.

Hospitals had video cameras. She didn't doubt that L would be smart enough to look through them. Moreover, if he was as smart as they said he was, he could have put together her face and what had happened. Actually, anyone could have put those together. She knew it was too late to erase those tapes, so what could she do?! Mitsuki had just left a huge trail behind. If she was going to make it out of this, she had to come up with an alibi, and fast.

Ryuk could sense her distress and laughed at it. Groaning she threw an apple at him, which he took happily and ate. His laughter didn't die though. Getting frustrated now, she glared at him through the dark.

"What is so funny, may I ask?" Mitsuki asked, not even trying to mask the bitterness her voice contained. Ryuk finished the apple before looking at her. Even through the dark, his smile was creepy.

"You're funny when you mumble to yourself. And sometimes, you don't need to hide the truth. Just a little advice for giving me a good laugh," Ryuk commented, and then went back to laughing again. Mitsuki sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to stop anytime soon. His words echoed in her blank mind, before they made sense. Of course, why should she hide it? It was obvious she went to see Riku, so why pretend?

"Hey, Ryuk, I think I'd like to make a trade," Mitsuki announced through the darkness of her room looking through the pictures of her cell phone. Ryuk gave her an inquisitive look, but chuckled when he thought of what she wanted. His laughter went on into the night, and all too soon it became day.

Mitsuki woke up to the sound of her doorbell ringing. Blinking away her sleep, she changed in a flash and answered the door. Oh, the look on her face when she saw who it was! Riku was standing there, smiling, like they had been friends for years and she just dropped in to say hello.

"You're Mitsuki Shikai, right? My dad told me that you had come to visit me in the hospital, and I wanted to say thanks," Riku spoke in a light cheerful tone. Mitsuki blinked again. Was this really happening? It had to be because there was no way her mind could create a scenario like this on its own.

"Yeah I am and yes I did. I visited you yesterday when I heard that you had woken up. There were too many doctors surrounding the door, though, so couldn't get in. I did try though. Oh, would you like to come in?" Mitsuki babbled, pretending to be a normal teenage girl and not some serial killer. It was easy enough.

Riku entered and sat down on the same couch that the detectives had sat down on previously. Mitsuki prepared tea, thinking that it was appropriate enough and sat across from Mitsuki while it simmered. Both were silent for a while. Mitsuki decided to be the first one to break the silence.

"Were you really dead?" she asked timidly and awkwardly. There was no right way to ask if someone used to be dead. It was a sentence that was supposed to be non-existent. Riku thought about it carefully before answering.

"That's what my dad told me. It doesn't feel like I died though, more like I slept for days," Riku explained, not wanting to give too much away. The two of them were playing mind games with each other now. Both knew it, but neither wanted to break it. Not yet.

"You keep talking about your dad, what about your mom?" Mitsuki asked warily, although she already knew the answer. It was polite to ask, though. Even if it might cause Riku more pain, she wanted to hear it from her.

"She died when I was three. She took very good care of me, though. I never met my father until this year, though, which is why I moved here in the first place. It was so I could be with my father," Riku explained her voice quiet, eyes downcast. Mitsuki wanted to say more, but the kettle went off, and she poured two cups, handing one to Riku. Riku took the cup and one sip before putting it down.

"That must have been hard, then. For your dad, I mean. You moved here not long ago, and already you died and came back to life, I wonder how he feels," Mitsuki interjected her feelings. Riku hadn't given too much thought to how her father had felt while she was…dead. She knew it must have been hard, but she could not fathom how hard. Suddenly, she wanted to cry.

Mitsuki saw a change overcome Riku and went over to pat her on the back, like a friend would do. Like they could be friends. Like they could get along. Except that, this was impossible. They believed two very different things. That boundary separated them. Nevertheless, Mitsuki went over and patted her back, comforting her.

"Don't worry, you came back. Even if your dad was sad at your death, think of how happy he was when you came back to life!" Mitsuki tried to cheer her up. Riku dried her tears as a thought passed by her. If this person was Kira, the current Kira anyway, it was likely that she revived her. By reviving her, this proved that Mitsuki was not a cold-blooded killer, like the original Kira might have been. By reviving her, Riku realized that Mitsuki only wanted the world to be safe. Not necessarily by killing criminals, but that was the option put before her to help the world and she took it.

"I know your secret, Mitsuki," Riku whispered suddenly, barely conscious that she had spoken it at all. Mitsuki blinked. First she was crying and now she says something like this? It didn't add up. Unless this was what she was really here for; to capture Kira. It made sense, and the mind games came to an end. Mitsuki took her seat across from Riku again and took a sip of tea. Riku really wished she had her gum.

"Everybody has a secret, Riku," Mitsuki whispered back, staring into her eyes. Riku knew that there was something odd about that sentence, but what? And then it hit her like a gush of ice wind; Mitsuki only knew her as Kari from school, but for her to call her Riku?

"Yes, Riku I know your secrets, too," Mitsuki smiled, "from here on out is a struggle of who is smarter and whose justice is stronger, yours or mine," Mitsuki declared a war in that room. Riku smiled back in acceptance, the tea now long forgotten.

(a/n I was planning on ending it right here, but then thought of all my wonderful readers out there who were waiting for this and decided I should continue. People better give me a review for this, please?)

"Please go ahead and say them, then, Mitsuki Shikai," Riku pressed her on. Mitsuki knew that she took a gamble going first, but if she did it well enough, Riku would be left speechless. Half of what she was going to say was speculation, but she was pretty positive about it.

"Riku, or should I say, Hime Chousen, or as your name should be, Hime Lawliet. You are L's-or should I say Lawliet?-daughter. Weeks ago, you were killed by Kira for coming too close to knowing his identity. You worked with your dad and the task force up until the minute you died. I also know of Raito Yagami, whose father was killed by Kira. Is there anything else I should be aware of?" Mitsuki finished up smiling. Riku nearly stopped breathing when she said Lawliet. Everything mentioned after that was a blur. She knew his name. Mitsuki knew Lawliet's true name. And not once did she ever admit to being Kira. Riku knew she had to pull through with some big stuff if she ever wanted to win this battle.

"Okay, I guess it's my turn, then," Riku stated, putting on a façade, "first and foremost; you are Kira. You have not always been Kira, someone was before you, most likely suspect is Raito Yagami," and from there, Riku faltered. She had no more to say about Mitsuki. All she knew was that she was Kira. Her façade did not fade away, though.

"Is that it? You think I'm Kira? So does your father and Raito Yagami. All right. I'm the current Kira. Know that if you tell anyone, that person will be killed, though, and then I will kill you right after," Mitsuki countered, knowing that she had the upper hand. Riku was not phased by this threat that much, but she needed to have the upper hand! Mitsuki was winning, but Riku needed to win! She had to, for her justice. It would be cruel, but maybe, just maybe, it would work.

"Your mind is warped, Mitsuki," Riku commenced, "Killing people is wrong. Even if they are criminals, everyone deserves a second chance. I know you believe that, too. Why else would I be standing here talking if you didn't? You thought I shouldn't be dead and brought me back. I've lied before. I've made mistakes. That doesn't mean I get the death penalty. Everyone deserves a second chance! I know this because I lost my life and then gained it back!" Riku had stood up without realizing that she had was her voice had risen to near shouting, "Just minutes ago you told me about how sad my dad was that I died. What about all those criminals? What about their families? Wouldn't they be sad, too?" Mitsuki started to get angry as well, and stood up, prepared to fight back.

"They hurt people! Those people should be prepared to face the consequence of their actions! It was their choice to commit the crime," Mitsuki's voice was getting quieter, and tears started to pool at the bottom of her eyes, "it was his choice to kill my best friend, he needed to pay for it. They all did. All of them hurt someone like me. It's just an eye for an eye." Mitsuki's anger had died down, but she was still defiant.

Riku looked down at the girl who was so strong just a minute ago. Riku had never given much thought to why her father was the first criminal if she was Kira. So, her father killed her best friend. Riku almost gave in right then, telling her that it was all right, but something told her otherwise. That would be giving into Mitsuki's justice, but Riku's justice, no her father's justice, was much stronger than that, and things would be set right.

**Yep, finished this at 11:05. Why do I have no life at all? Really now. I feel satisfied with this chapter, though. The next one will probably end it all. How? Well I have no idea, but this story can't go on for much longer. It has to end, as much as everyone doesn't want it to. **

**Reviews will make me update faster!! Really, they will. Trust me on this one. Please review. Oh, tell me if you want Mitsuki alive or dead, I'm undecided about that. Leave a review to let me know!! And yes I'm putting review everywhere. Review. Just so you get the message to review. Have I said it enough yet?**

**C ya l8r!**


	20. All for the Yellow Future

**OMG I wanted to write my other story I'm starting, but I told myself that I must finish this!! Oh, if anyone cares at all, my other story that I'm working on is a One Piece one. Although I bet no one cares. So yeah.. to all of those that reviewed and I told them that I MIGHT make a sequel… yeah, it's not happening. Go ahead and kill me if ya want. I had one planned, but no one seems to have followed this one or reviewed a lot, so this is the end. Yeah, this will be long, I hope, to prolong goodbye!**

**Disclaimer: DAMMIT I NEVER OWNED DEATH NOTE!! If I did, I'd be in there with Mello, and all my other friends would be in there too.**

**All in the Past:**

"I'm sorry to hear about your best friend," Riku sympathized patting Mitsui's shoulder, looking at the ground with determination, the sunlight casting a shadow over her eyes, "but that gives you no right to take someone's life!" Riku screamed slapping Mitsuki. In a second, all of Mitsuki's tears were gone and she only felt rage. First, the girl sympathizes with her, and then slaps her? What could she have been thinking? That does not make any sense! You cannot be angry and feel sympathy at the same time. Mitsuki was about to slap her back, when she saw what Riku was doing.

Riku smiled as she held her hand out as she stood in front of Mitsuki.

"You can repent for what you did, or you can continue. If you want to continue to destroy lives, go ahead. On the other hand, you can choose to build. It is your choice. That seems like something my dad might say if he were here," Riku finished with a light laugh. Mitsuki could only deadpan at what Riku had said. Mitsuki was only destroying the evil in this world. She was creating hope and peace for those who were good enough for it. That is what she was doing, right?

"No, I am creating hope for people. Okay, I will say that I destroyed lives, but they deserved it! Causing so much pain… they knew what would happen," Mitsuki explained her logic. Already, both girls knew that Mitsuki was losing the battle. All Riku had to do was show Mitsuki what true justice was. Mitsuki was not evil; power corrupted her.

"You're not creating, just destroying. To make a better world, destroying everything in your path is not the way. Burning trees on your way to a better place leaves only burnt ashes. Those burnt ashes cannot make trees. Lives cannot be taken back once they are gone. Actually, they can. I was dead, was I not, but bringing back those you killed now would only cause problems. However, Mitsuki, I am not going to tell you what you are doing is wrong, you decide. Decide whether you want to stay with you plan and fight, or repent," Riku concluded.

Mitsuki was scowling at Riku. Mitsuki knew she had lost. For a while, she was winning, but everything that Riku said made sense. Mitsuki found herself believing that killing was wrong. She always knew that. She always knew that killing was wrong, but she did not want to believe it. She wanted to be strong, be a protector, be someone others were able to feel safe with. Well, Mitsuki failed, didn't she?

"Just so you know, I do have many supporters. Many people think that killing criminals is just, the same way I do now. When I see it from the criminal's point of view, though, they must have had their reasons, too. Just like I had my own reasons for murdering my dad, although he deserved it. Maybe…they should have a second chance, but just another chance! Whatever they did could be put all in their past just once, just once!" Mitsuki exclaimed unwilling to give in completely to what Riku was saying. Mitsuki felt good. Although she felt horrible about killing criminals, she would stop. She had to. She had just convinced herself that she needed to or she would have to call herself a criminal. Shaking a little, she took Riku's hand as Riku pulled her to her feet.

"I agree completely, Miss Shikai," Ryuuzaki echoed, opening the door and entering Mitsuki's small apartment. Sunlight flooded in, its yellow light brightening up the room considerably, but leaving shadows in the corners. Mitsuki froze when she saw who it was. If she had the Death Note right now, she could kill him. She could kill him, but she would not have. Mitsuki had no reason to. Ryuuzaki, otherwise known as L, wore no mask, and no protection. Ryuuzaki stood just inside the room, not wanting to intrude further.

"L!" "Dad!" the two girls exclaimed their greeting, Riku running and hugging her dad. Mitsuki hung back and watched the scene. Ryuuzaki patted Riku on the head as she jabbered about how Mitsuki was good now, and not bent on world domination, (a/n okay, she was never bent on world domination, but it would have been fun!), or on punishing criminals. Ryuuzaki looked over at Mitsuki as their eyes met.

"Miss Shikai, I will give you a second chance for two reasons. The first is that your intelligence is too good to be wasted, I know it first hand, and second is that my policy is to give people second chances. That is why criminals are put in jail, so they can hopefully come out a better person. This is not always true, but we must be fair and give each person the same opportunity. I will give you that same opportunity, with a catch." Mitsuki blinked, but nodded, agreeing to whatever this catch might be. "I want you to tell me who the former Kira was and help me catch them."

"Done," Mitsuki promised smiling. She looked over at the Shinigami who seemed to be having a fun time. Ryuk looked amused at how the story was ending. He never expected Mitsuki to lose this battle, but humans always surprised him. Ryuuzaki sat down with Riku and Mitsuki to explain his plan for catching Kira. He had been planning this ever since Riku left to see Mitsuki, already wanting to catch Kira, who he was quite positive sat next to him as he thought of this plan.

Raito was enjoying his freedom. The sun was shining, a bright yellow. A cheerful yellow. Raito was only looking at that, and not the shadows that lay behind him. Everyone had been gone for quite a while. Ryuuzaki dismissed the task force, but they would come back later on. It had been hours since Ryuuzaki left to meet with Mitsuki, but Raito did not pay much attention. Ryuuzaki said that he was positive that Mitsuki was Kira, and that there was no need for the chain any longer. Raito knew he was still a Kira suspect, but enjoyed the freedom of not being constantly watched by a sugar-addicted insomniac detective. Honestly, the time they were chained together was Hell if Raito ever knew it.

Ryuuzaki came back with Mitsuki and Riku, Riku looking perfectly happy at making a new friend, completely uncharacteristic of her. Still, it is not everyday that she made a friend who was as smart as she was. It excited her. Mitsuki would not call Riku a friend aloud, but she knew that she was a friend. Mitsuki felt like a scolded child as she sat down on a small chair. Everyone had his or her own seat, but she was happy with a wooden chair. Mitsuki sighed as she knew the plan would begin any second.

"Hey, dad, can I talk to you about something?" Riku asked, sending a glance to Mitsuki, who looked startled. Raito watched amused as the scene unfolded around him. Ryuuzaki nodded, and father and daughter left the room to a more secure one farther away, where they would not be heard. This also meant that no one could hear Mitsuki and Raito.

"Raito, I know it's you," Mitsuki told him, accompanied by an icy stare. Raito blinked and was about to protest that he had no idea what she was talking about when he remembered something. This room had no cameras or mikes in it due to Ryuuzaki's paranoia that Kira might get a hold on the footage. Especially with this new technological Kira.

"What do you mean?" Raito still decided to play it safe; he could never trust Ryuuzaki to have no cameras in this room. Raito stared back at her, matching her gaze, when she smiled. It was more of I-know-something-you-don't-know-look as opposed to just a smile

"I know you were the first Kira, Ryuk told me; do not try to lie to me. Ryuuzaki has the Death Note right now, but I bet you have a piece of it with you, do you not? I know L's true name, would you write it down?" Mitsuki asked with a malicious intent, her smile spreading ever wider. Raito did not know if he should believe her. He had no idea what her personality was like, so he could not tell if she was lying. He weighed his options. He could ignore her, and never learn Ryuuzaki's true name and play it safe. Raito could also listen to her and write down Ryuuzaki's name. The Death Note piece was in his watch. He knew quickly why she could not have written his name, she did not know his face until today. Raito had nothing to lose, except it all, but he was confident he could win. After all, his justice was strong.

"It would not hurt to have his name," Raito mused. He did not want to appear too interested, in case something went wrong. The room could be bugged after all. Then, a brilliant plan came to mind. An awful, brilliant plan. He was worried about three and only three people right now. All three of which he knew their names. Well, he would. Why not? Who was here to stop him? Just Mitsuki, who was on his side anyway. It was perfect!

Raito watched as Mitsuki told him Ryuuzaki's name. Without hesitation, he wrote it down, followed by Hime Chousen and Mitsuki Shikai. All he had to do was wait out forty seconds. Mitsuki got alarmed when she saw that he had written more than one name.

"Who else did you write?" Mitsuki asked getting up from her wooden chair and moving towards Raito. He snapped the paper back into his watch. Mitsuki began panicking now. She did not want to die. She was just given a second chance! This time she was supposed to live happily.

"I wrote down Hime Chousen as well, I hope that is okay with you," Raito responded playing up the good guy on her side. Mitsuki relaxed, believing him. As she went back to her seat, Ryuuzaki and Riku came through the door. Riku smiled and sat next to Mitsuki. She wanted to talk to her about random girlie things but nothing came to mind. That just was not who she was. Actually, they had nothing to talk about. Their lives were about to end, and all they could do was stare at each other.

"What's your favorite color?" Riku asked Mitsuki absently. She just wanted something to fill the tension between them. Riku did not know that she was about to die, but Mitsuki did. So she lied about her favorite color to a much better one. One that would fit the time much better. One that she never actually liked until this second when she thought it was the best color in the world.

"Yellow because it reminds of the sun and how we should always look forward," Mitsuki answered, genuinely smiling at Riku. Riku laughed at her saying how that was such a silly color. Yellow, it was such a silly color. Always so bright and cheerful, like it never had a bad day.

"Although, I like yellow, too. Even if it is silly. It reminds me of what you said earlier. Something about how everything wrong that happened to someone can be left all in the past. Instead, you wanna know what I think? Instead, everything should be all for the future!" Riku laughed and Mitsuki laughed with her, and soon Ryuuzaki laughed too, Raito joining in at the end. Everything was happy, just like yellow. Like the sun. Nevertheless, the sun cast shadows, and in an instant, all of those shadows were intensified.

First Ryuuzaki could not breathe, and then he saw the world become dark. (a/n HAHA!! You though I used a fake name didn't ya? I was actually going to, but right here I changed my mind! So what will happen next?) Riku did not even have time to react to her father dying, her death came next as the shadows overtook her eyes. Raito looked expectantly at Mitsuki, waiting for her to fall. She did not.

Raito now began to panic. Why was Mitsuki not dead?! Quickly, he popped open his wrist watch and looked at her name. It was right there: Mitsuki Shikai. Her name was right there. What was the problem?

"What's the matter, Raito? Is this not what you wanted? You said you wrote down their names, are you having that much of a shock at their death?" Mitsuki smiled her malicious I-know-something-you-don't-know smile. Raito was beginning to panic. What was going on? From the shadows Ryuk appeared, laughing.

"You look like you're falling apart, Raito," Ryuk commented chuckling to himself. Raito glared at the Shinigami. Mitsuki was still smiling. Raito again wondered why. The shadows in the room were deafening. Only his thoughts could be heard. He vaguely saw Mitsuki say something, talking to him, before she laughed. He vaguely saw Mitsuki move towards him as she touched his face.

"You're white as a ghost Raito!" Mitsuki exclaimed, concern in her voice, but that smile was still plastered on her face, like the Cheshire Cat. Constantly plaguing him, taunting him like millions of plastic dolls, laughing at him like millions of children laughing at the new kid. Raito composed himself quickly though.

"I'm just fine," Raito insisted and Mitsuki backed off, still smiling.

"Then, why were you unsuccessful in killing me?" Mitsuki taunted. Raito now began to go into hysterics. His plan was supposed to be flawless!! She should have died with her friend and his rival. That was how it was supposed to go. This he knew so well. This he believed so true, just as he believed that he was the God of the New World.

"What are you talking about? I didn't try to kill you," Raito bluffed, but her Cheshire Smile broke through the dark wall he hid behind so well. The wall he built so that people would never know what he was thinking.

"Let me see the paper, then," Mitsuki mocked. Raito could refuse her, but then she would have won. When she won, he lost. Above all else, Raito _hated_ losing. Grudgingly, though the face he held was perfectly calm, he passed the paper to her from inside his watch. He had to think of something in the next five seconds. His mind worked furiously, and when a decision was almost reached, Mitsuki took it from him, pausing for a moment like a wave of nausea had come over her, but read the three names aloud. Raito stared impassively at her.

"Yes, I did try to kill you, but I was unsuccessful. Would you mind telling me why?" Raito became calm about this. There was no reason to panic. They were on the same side, were they not? Since they were, there should be no problem with her telling him why he was unable to kill her. Moreover, she should be able to cope with the fact that he had tried t kill her; that was just in his nature.

"The answer to that is simple. I was adopted. The name I have now is my adoptive name. I do not even remember my real first name. I think this is why I was able to kill my father; he was not even my real father. I could never be so cold-hearted to kill my own father." (a/n and yes I did that on purpose haha). Raito understood this, but this meant that unless he went searching around for her name, which might not even be anywhere, he would have to use the Shinigami eyes to kill her in the end. Mitsuki licked her dry lips, and frowning went searching through her pocket, most likely for Chap Stick. Raito sighed, annoyed at her girlie behavior and began to think about his next plan of action. The rest of the task force would not be here for an hour or so. His thoughts were interrupted when the clock chimed the hour.

As the clock chimed, a cell phone rang, or to be more precise Ryuuzaki's. Raito went to answer it, seeing as how Ryuuzaki was unable to answer it and Mitsuki did not feel like it, she seemed to be rummaging through her pocket. When Raito picked up the cell phone, which was a room away, much to annoyance, he nearly got a heart attack himself. The voice was ghostly and it scared him.

"I'm back," was all Ryuuzaki said through his cell phone. Raito did not know how this made sense; Ryuuzaki was dead in the other room, right? Slowly, Raito turned to see Ryuuzaki, Riku and Mitsuki looking back at him, Mitsuki waving a small object in her hands, her Cheshire Smile, now just a smirk. Upon closer inspection, the object was the Death Eraser, it said so on it. Raito almost ran screaming. The Death Eraser? Was that something that brought people back to life? It must be, or how else would Riku have been brought back. Why did he not account for this possibility earlier?! The answer was simple: he was too arrogant. He thought that he had all the pieces. He did not.

"Raito, we have caught you in the act, we have proof of what you have done, and you cannot escape it." Raito began to laugh. He laughed loud and long. All three in the other room blinked.

"What now? Are you going to send me to jail? Go ahead and try!" Raito mocked, before he ran. He was confident that if nothing else, he was faster than they were. He could outrun them easily. He was proved wrong when Ryuuzaki was right behind him chasing him down the hallway. Raito was about to go downstairs when his feet carried him upstairs. He paid no attention anymore and just ran blindly. Ryuuzaki followed. The girls tried to keep up, but failed and waited at the bottom of the stairs.

On the roof, Raito thought about what to do next. The first thing he did was block the staircase. He succeeded, and Ryuuzaki could not get onto the roof. However, someone managed to get onto the roof. Someone Raito did not want to see.

"What do you want Ryuk?" Raito asked impatiently. He needed to think of a plan and quick. Ryuuzaki would get onto the roof soon enough. This Raito knew indefinitely. So many possibilities, but which was the best?

"Heh, just so you know Raito, Mitsuki relinquished the Death Note; she couldn't even see me earlier. Ryuuzaki and Riku filler her in on her memories, she accepted them quickly, and acted them out today. Smart kid, but how that detective managed to pull that off interested me. So now, you are the only one in possession of the Death Note, or at least the last one to use it. And I'm sorry to say Raito, but Ryuuzaki will get you, and I can't have that happen," Ryuk finished what he wanted to say. Raito turned to stare at him in horror. No, that cannot have meant what he thought it did. His suspicions were confirmed when Ryuk held up his personal Death Note with a single name written there: Raito Yagami. Raito panicked.

"Damn you Ryuk! What have you done! I could have made it out! Somehow I would have won against Ryuuzaki," Raito screeched, his words trying to be heard over the noise of the city. The words fell upon deaf ears, as no one could save him. No one could help him. No one wanted to.

The door to the roof flung open as Ryuuzaki saw Raito standing there pale. Ryuuzaki called out, but already Raito's vision blackened, and the last memory he had was Ryuuzaki rushing to hold him as he fell.

Ryuuzaki looked into dead eyes, and then at the Shinigami, for Ryuuzaki could see him. He said nothing, but only glared. Ryuk laughed amused. Ryuuzaki cradled Raito; he looked so peaceful now that he was dead. The influence of Kira was no longer over him.

"He was your enemy, yet you hold him like that," Ryuk chuckled amused.

"He was my first and greatest friend," Ryuuzaki countered, knowing that was the only way to describe Raito. Ryuuzaki could not lie; Raito was his first and greatest friend. He was also his mortal enemy. Still, he felt sad, just as sad when he learned of Riku's death, but this time he knew how to cry, and he did.

Ryuk laughed mumbling about interesting humans, and disappeared. He left to collect the Death Note, and head back to the Shinigami Realm. He had had enough fun.

Ryuuzaki carried Raito down the stairs, finished being sad for the time, and both girls grieved when they saw him dead. Both knew that he was never truly evil, just Kira was, Mitsuki could attain to that. Her memories had come back when she took the paper from Raito.

"Where do we go from here?" Mitsuki asked shakily, her eyes looking hesitantly at Riku. Riku sighed. She really did not know. Everything in her life had been for one goal since before she could remember: to see her father. When she found her father, she helped him with his goal: to catch Kira. Now that Kira was gone, where do they go?

"Well," Ryuuzaki started, trying to phrase his sentence right, "we can only go forward, and do all we can for our future." Riku nodded, pumped up, and Mitsuki laughed following her lead. Ryuuzaki took one last look at Raito before looking outside to the bright yellow, cheerful sun.

**All for the Future**

**Woooooow. I wrote that in one sitting, completely ignoring all homework I might have. Oh wait, I do have homework. I hope everyone liked the ending!! I'm sorry, Raito had to die. I really couldn't let him live. There was no way I could. It's just not how the story ends. And I had been planning to use the phrase "all for the future" since the beginning.**

********READ THIS!!*********

**I will not be doing a sequel. I don't feel that I have enough support to do one nor do I have a good plot. There will be an ****epilogue**** though! Only because I REALLY want to make one. So, just wait for that. My fav character will make an appearance SQUEE!!**

**C ya l8r!**


	21. Epilogue: New Friends?

**After years and months and decades and seconds, I have returned for the epilogue!! Yay!! Now everyone do a happy dance… and we're good. On with the FINAL CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: And everything winds down with the final chapter of my Death Note fanfic, which is a fanfic, which means FICTION by FANS.**

**All in the Past – Epilogue**

"So, Dad, where are we going?" Riku asked Ryuuzaki as she stared out the window to see trees fly by her. It had been a long ride, from Japan to England, and now in a car to a place she still did not know. She had contented herself by chewing a full pack of gum, but her supply was running low, and the scenery was not changing. Mitsuki had contented herself to stare out the window. She had no idea where they were going, but she was excited about seeing England. Ryuuzaki sat in the passenger seat, and Watari drove the car.

"You will see when we get here," Ryuuzaki told the girl who could die of boredom soon. She heaved a large sigh and collapsed back into the seat. Mitsuki laughed at her, but said nothing. A lot has happened in the past few months. It started when she burned the Death Note, and became friends with Riku, sort of. Mitsuki lived with Ryuuzaki and Riku, since she had no family and was getting by on college tuition. The task force was disbanded since there was no more Kira, and Ryuuzaki had become a "regular" detective again.

"Hey, Riku, would you like to play Ghost?" Mitsuki asked. Ghost was a verbal word game, where the object was to string together letters, but if you spelled a word you were out. The catch is that the one player could "challenge" another player to make a word with the string of letters, and if they failed to make a word, they lost. It was a game they played often when they were bored. It went fine for a while, before one of them challenged the other, and then it fell into a debate on whether or not a word existed. Ryuuzaki never intervened; he just let them fight it out.

"L," Riku began, accepting the game, since she had nothing else to do, except chew gum.

"O," Mitsuki countered.

"B," Riku said thinking of trying to get Mitsuki to spell "LOBSTER."

"B." Riku frowned.

"I."

"E."

"Challenge," Riku requested, not knowing what Mitsuki could be spelling.

"Lobbies, the plural of lobby," Mitsuki replied, but Riku insisted that that was not the spelling of the word. Mitsuki glared and replied that it was. And soon enough, the argument exploded. Ryuuzaki and Watari smiled and let them go. As long as they were not going to be dragged into their fight, the two girls could battle it out.

They battled it out all the way to their destination, and only stopped when Ryuuzaki told them that they had arrived. Riku jumped out of the car and grabbed her bags from the trunk. It was undecided how long they would stay, so she packed one large suitcase and a travel bag. Mitsuki stepped out of the care and grabbed her bags as well; one medium suitcase and a travel bag as well. Ryuuzaki and Watari retrieved their bags and began leading the girls inside Wammy's House, through the large wrought iron gate.

The first impression of Wammy's House was a large mansion owned by rich people. The house was well kept, but it was ornate. You could tell that it had seen good times and bad times and had lived through them all. The grass was freshly cut, and there few weeds seen. Riku and Mitsuki noticed some kids playing outside, but as soon as they saw the visitors, rushed back inside. Both girls thought they were scared and shrugged it off.

They were proved wrong, though, when the children plus others were seen running out towards them. Riku watched as her dad dropped his bags and stooped low to greet the children and Watari greeted them warmly as well. Some talked excitedly of their day, the younger ones mainly, and others stood in the background smiling. A few were staring at Riku and Mitsuki, wondering what they were doing at Wammy's House, but shrugged it off for a moment.

After many greetings, the crowd moved inside the house. Ryuuzaki explained briefly that this was an orphanage for gifted children, and the place that he grew up, which is why he said that he wanted to come to visit. Riku could see why you would want to visit a place as elaborate as this. The banister was oak and the floor was polished wood. Paintings hung around the main room, decorating it. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, many lights shining down on the crowd.

"Who are they?" a blonde haired boy, about the age of Riku and Mitsuki, asked Ryuuzaki. Others murmured their assent, also wondering who they were. Riku knew that this would be a fun time, explaining that Ryuuzaki was her father and that she was born when he was sixteen. (If I get around to it, I will do a small series on Ryuuzaki and Minna, Riku's mom. Minna learned that she was pregnant when Ryuuzaki was fifteen, but at the time of Riku's birth, he was sixteen. If you want a better explanation, tell me. If I get enough reviews, I'll write a short series about them.)

"This is my daughter, Riku," Ryuuzaki said pointing out Riku, who was in her favorite purple leotard, black skirt, and black leather jacket, "and her friend, Mitsuki," Mitsuki smiled and fidgeted nervously with the hem of her red styled shirt and stared at her blue jeans. The entire crowd became utterly silent. A pin drop would have caused every person to jump and the noise that it would make. Riku knew she had to do something if this silence was going to end.

"Yeah, my name's Riku and I am currently thirteen. I like to say that I'm pretty smart, at least smarter than Mitsuki over here," Riku said pointing to her friend. Mitsuki glared and knew that a fight had been issued.

"This is coming from the person who thinks that 'lobbies' is not a word." Now it was time for Riku to glare. The argument from earlier threatened to rise, but Ryuuzaki quelled it by telling them to go to the third floor and take the back room. Both girls continued to glare, but left anyway. The blonde boy from earlier, as well as one of his friends, a red-headed boy the same age, followed them back to their room.

"Is there something that you want?" Riku asked impatiently turning around before opening her door to face her followers. The blonde boy smirked and took out a chocolate bar and took a bite before he answered her question. This seemed to confuse Mitsuki, but she said nothing.

"Are you really his daughter?" he questioned, not truly believing it. He figured that Ryuuzaki would have had to be not much older than them for her to be their age. Riku verified that she was indeed his daughter and was about to huff off when the red head spoke up.

"We don't mean to be rude, it is just hard to believe," and when Riku nodded her okay that she understood, the red head continued, "I'm Matt, and this is Mello."

"I'm Riku and this is Mitsuki, if you didn't get that before," Riku introduced themselves. Mello nodded, and when he turned to look at Mitsuki, he found her already staring at him.

"Is something wrong?" Mello inquired with a hint of acidity in his voice. Mitsuki blinked and almost laughed. She thought it was so funny how he was chewing chocolate and speaking. It looked so awkward to her. This infuriated Mello even more, and made his face even funnier. Soon enough, Mitsuki was laughing, full out laughing.

"I'm sorry; it's just that your face is funny when you chew chocolate." Riku looked closer when Mitsuki stated this and she began laughing, too. Mello was so dumbfounded that he was not even angry. They were laughing at him for a reason like that? No one has ever made any comment about how he looks, since here at Wammy's House, all that matters is your intelligence. For her to comment on how he looked startled him.

"Wow Mello, your face looks hilarious right now!" Matt commented at Mello's jaw drop. Mello came out of his stupor then and glared at his friend.

"Just shut up, Matt," Mello said before he stormed off. Matt was not worried about hurting his feelings, though, and followed behind his fried still laughing. Mitsuki and Riku stopped laughing a minute later and finally entered their room. They put some stuff away, but left soon afterwards, eager to see if there were any other people like Mello around that they could tease.

It did not take them long to find their next target. Watari introduced him to them as the most intelligent person in the school, Near. Neither girl thought much of him. He was a short boy of thirteen and constantly wore white. Both girls assumed that he did this due to his white hair. He also twirled his white hair a lot, which amused Mitsuki and forced Riku to hold in her laughs. Near could tell that she wanted to laugh and glared at her for it. Watari left the room on some matters, which gave the trio time to talk.

"Why do you twirl your hair?" Riku asked trying hard not to laugh still. Mitsuki thought it was funny as well, but she did not find this as funny as Mello's face when he ate chocolate, so she did not feel the need to laugh. Near was not amused by this.

"Why do you find it funny?" he challenged. Riku blanked at the question. She had no reason; it was simply funny.

"It just is, so why do you twirl your hair?"

"It helps me think," he replied. Mitsuki soon realized that this conversation would go on for a while, and decided to go and find Mello and bug him some more. Oh, if only she knew.

"Ooh, ooh, I know! It's like you're trying to wrap your mind about a topic, but instead wrapping your finger around your hair!"

"It is NOTHING like that, Riku. And do not expect me to treat you nicely because you are the current L's daughter." Riku wondered why he said current before remembering that he was L's successor. She then had a thought, why couldn't SHE be L's successor. She was his daughter, so it would be perfect. She was a genius and could easily beat out a punk like Near.

"So you think you really are going to be L's successor, huh?" Near frowned at what she was implying. Was she trying to imply that MELLO could be L's successor, or did she even know about him? Near scowled when he saw Riku smirk. He knew what she was thinking then, and a war had begun.

"I really do think that I will be L's successor, unless you think someone else is more capable. Perhaps you are thinking of yourself?" Near spoke with venom dripping from his words. Riku got excited about this battle. Even though it was not the teasing that she had with Mello, she liked the challenge better. Testing her wits against someone else was such a fun thing to do.

"You also think highly of yourself, or did you not just say that you would be L's successor? I propose a contest of wits. I propose that we create a puzzle for the other person to solve, and whoever solves it first is the winner." Near found what she proposed intriguing. A puzzle could mean anything; a word puzzle, a math puzzle, or a literal puzzle. So Near accepted the challenge and told her to leave so he could make his. Riku agreed and went to find what Mitsuki was doing.

Mitsuki tracked down Mello, who was eating chocolate, and found him and Matt playing a racing game in Matt's room. She said nothing at first and watched them for a bit, trying to find out how to play the game. Mitsuki never had much video game experience, the one system she had her dad threw out the window in a fit when she was nine. Mitsuki had watched them play two races before she asked if she could join in.

"Why would I let you play?" Mello countered, snapping off a piece of chocolate. This girl laughed at him, so he found no reason to be courteous with her. Mitsuki stared at him for a second, and opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it.

"Alright, don't let me play," Mitsuki responded. Mello sighed chewing on his chocolate and went back to the screen, but Mitsuki reached over and stole Matt's controller. He was pissed off, but he was curious at what she was going to do next, so he decided to make her pay for it later. "But I'll force my way in then."

Mello triumphed in the first race and then in the second. He laughed at her, trying to get payback for earlier, but she seemed unfazed by it. He looked over at her during the third race and saw how completely absorbed she was. He almost went off the course before Matt smacked him on the back of the head. Mello chortled and went back to the race, and came out victorious in the end. (a/n can you imagine Mello CHORTLING? I find that funny.)

"You really suck at this," Mello commented. Mitsuki had come here meaning to tease him, but that seemed unlikely. Mitsuki went over in her mind what she and Mello were doing, compared them, and realized that there was only one difference. He simply had better video game experience.

"I know, I've never played this game, or this system for that matter," Mitsuki explained, but to no avail. Mello snorted and stalked off, happy that he beat her in video games. Matt was about to follow when Mitsuki tugged on his sleeve.

"Can you teach me how to be better at this?" Mitsuki pleaded. Matt smirked. This was his chance to show off in video games, being the video game master and all.

"Why certainly. Let the video game master show you what it's all about," Matt introduced himself and he began to teach her about the basics of video gaming. Mitsuki thought that this was unnecessary, but let him because he wanted to. He only explained for five minutes before he played the racing game with her. He beat her easily each time, but he saw her get better. She was definitely improving.

"You feel ready for a rematch with Mello?" Matt asked her when she came in second behind him. He knew she would never beat him; it was just impossible. However, he felt that she stands a chance against Mello. He may even forgive her for stealing his precious gaming time for she gave it back to him. Nah.

"Hey, Mell," Matt asked entering Mello's room to tell him of Mitsuki's rematch, "Mitsuki's been practicing, and she, hey, what's wrong?" Matt asked when he saw that Mello was unresponsive. He just stared at the wall; no, he glared at the wall chewing on his chocolate.

"Nothing, what's up?" Mello asked as if Matt had just walked in. Matt stared at Mello who stared at the wall, trying to discern what was wrong. Matt thought back to the video gaming, seeing as how Mitsuki could be the only variable, and wondered about Mello's reactions. Matt then remembered that he saw Mello see them practicing and then stormed off. Did he not like the idea of his best friends being stolen away, or…?

"You like her, don't you?" Matt asked. Mello snapped up to Matt. His look was not the look of teasing he expected to see; it was stoic. Mello could deny that he liked Mitsuki, but he knew that it was false. Matt knew it was false. Mello was not head over heels for the girl, but he would be. He was smart enough to realize that the more he was around her, the more fun he had. Therefore, it hurt him when he saw his best friend with the girl he liked.

"Yeah, but I'm not in love with her, Matt. We've had other friends that were girls, right?" Mello tried to appease. Matt shook his head.

"This time's different, Mell. I saw the way you looked at her, and you don't try to tease her like others." Both knew this was true. Matt knew he was going to lose his best friend. Maybe not right now, but later, when Mitsuki found that she liked Mello, too. Matt never really believed in all of that love-at-first-sight stuff, but this was it.

"Matt, okay, I like her, but I still need you," Mello reminded him, "who else will get me chocolate when I need it?" Matt glared at him, but laughed.

"Yeah, about that, why don't you get your own chocolate?" Matt asked, not for the first time, and things fell back to where they were supposed to be. Matt lead Mello back to his room and he explained how Mitsuki was waiting for a rematch. Matt then proposed a new idea to Mello, to put something at stake. Mello thought about it on the way and came up with the perfect thing.

"So, what do you want the stakes to be?" Mitsuki asked when Mello explained that they should make some kind of bet. Mitsuki agreed, being a competitive person, and waited for Mello to answer. They were ready to play; all they had to do was settle this

"If I win, you have to buy me chocolate every week for a year," Mello declared. Mitsuki did not know how she would do this when she went back to Japan, maybe she could send chocolate, but she agreed.

"Well, I have something, too," Mitsuki said, "if I win, you can't touch chocolate for the rest of the day. You can still eat it, if you can pick it up without touching it, and gloves don't count." Mello glared. One day without chocolate might as well be a day in hell. However, the thought of chocolate for a year, along with the chocolate Matt gets him, sounded really nice. Moreover, how good could she have gotten in the past half hour?

"Fine, let's go!" Mello declared. The race started out pretty close. Mello was ahead, but Mitsuki was catching up. She then saw a short cut that she could take a little more than halfway through the course, courtesy of Matt showing it to her. Matt laughed when Mello saw Mitsuki ahead of him. Mello looked so furious that he might not have chocolate for a day without degrading himself. He also cursed Matt for not showing him this shortcut.

"Aha! I win!" Mitsuki shouted at the end of it. Mello thought of cheating, like kicking her, but decided against it and lost. He blamed Matt for showing her a short cut.

"Why didn't you tell me there was a short cut, Matt?!" Mello yelled at his friend.

"You never asked. She did. She really wanted to beat you and thought of all the tricks," Matt replied and Mello groaned. He wondered if he could eat chocolate without his hands. He probably could, but it would not be fun. Matt laughed at him and left because he knew Mello would be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. He advised Mitsuki to leave as well, but she refused. She wanted to see the consequences of her actions.

"Are you happy? Now I'm without chocolate for the entire day!" Mello grumbled. He started chewing on his tongue and glared at the TV screen. Mitsuki watched him amused before she answered his question.

"Actually, I am happy," Mitsuki replied in a singsong voice. Mello whipped his head around to face her.

"Why are you so-" Mello was cut off in mid scream. Mitsuki popped a piece of chocolate in his mouth. He started chewing the chocolate happily, but he glared at Mitsuki. Why was she doing something like this? He got his answer when she just smiled at him. She was not patronizing him, she was just happy. Mello snickered when he realized that she felt the same way he did. She liked him, and that was it.

Riku had been watching everything for a while, but did not feel like interrupting. It was so easy to tell that they liked each other, as Mitsuki fed him chocolate, sometimes taking it away at the last minute. Riku watched as Mello almost bit off Mitsuki's hand in the process of trying to get the chocolate back.

She then wondered if something like this would happen with her and Near. She liked Near, but she was clueless as to the extent of that. She thought that he would make a good friend because they could challenge each other with puzzles. This reminded her that she needed to get her puzzle ready.

Near waited for Riku to come. He had his puzzle ready for her. It was a riddle and it went as such:

"A man was to be sentenced, and the judge told him, "You may make a statement. If it is true, I'll sentence you to four years in prison. If it is false, I'll sentence you to six years in prison." After the man made his statement, the judge decided to let him go free. What did the man say?" (a/n not my riddle, it came from ., hehe, but I do like it!)

Near felt confident that it would take Riku a while to figure out this one. He could figure out her puzzle before she could figure out his and he would win. The door opened and Riku came in with a small box. He began to wonder if he had to open the box or something like that when he saw Riku dump its contents onto the floor. Near frowned at what he saw.

"This is just shredded pieces of paper," Near concluded. Riku nodded and smiled.

"That is also your puzzle," Riku told him and took the piece of paper from his hands, "Ooh, a riddle. I love riddles." Riku sat down and began to work on deciphering the riddle. Near continued to frown at his puzzle. Was it really to put all of these pieces together? Therefore, although Near did not lie, it, he began sorting the shredded paper into categories.

Both worked silently, except for Riku who began chewing gum, and neither got very far. Near tried putting pieces together but none fit. Near's thoughts were interrupted when the chewing stopped. He looked up to see Riku smiling.

"The answer is that the man said, 'You'll sentence me to six years,' right?" Riku told the albino boy. He nodded reluctantly. He knew that if her puzzle was not a real puzzle, he could have solved it ten minutes ago, but no it was a puzzle with puzzle pieces. He saw her start to laugh when she looked at his progress.

"Do you find something funny?" Near asked. He did not appreciate her laughing for no reason.

"For a genius, you really are an idiot, or maybe just stubborn?" Riku laughed and was about to walk off, when Near stopped her.

"What do you mean by that?" Riku turned back and laughed. He looked so serious.

"When you solve the puzzle you'll know," Riku replied. When he solves the puzzle, but the puzzle was pieces, or was it? Instantly, he got the answer. He really had been stubborn, trying to get a round peg into a square hole two sizes too small.

"The puzzle is impossible isn't it?" he asked as she opened the door to leave. Riku turned back again and smiled. Near heard the door shut and glowered at the pieces of paper. He had lost, so simply. She had outsmarted him. He was so focused on winning he only thought of one possibility. Near realized that she was a good opponent, and realized that this is how Mello must feel; thinking that if he just got another chance he could win.

"Riku, where's Mitsuki?" Ryuuzaki asked when he bumped into Riku, who was just on her way to find Mitsuki. Before she could answer, footsteps padded down the stairs and Mitsuki appeared.

"I'm right here, Ryuuzaki, why?" Mitsuki asked. She had run out of chocolate and was going to get more for Mello.

"Well, actually, I was thinking of moving in here. Watari has been working on setting up a system here for me to continue my job as a detective, and I thought that I would like to move back here, where I grew up, so what do you girls think?" Ryuuzaki explained. This had been his original intention, moving in here. Both girls thought about their new friends and a quick look at the other person's smile told them that the answer was unanimous.

"We'd love it."

**OMG I am finally done, unless people want me to write a small story, not under "all in the past," about Minna and Ryuuzaki, then I might. Tell me in a review and if I get enough of them, I'll do it. This is the FINAL CHAPTER of "all in the past," though, so goodbye, unless people want me to write the Minna and Ryuuzaki story. I'm thinking of calling it, "Of geniuses, lunatics, and somewhere in between." Lolz. Tell me, if I haven't said it enough times already!!**

**C ya l8r! (Maybe).**


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